


Madam Kadara

by gh03st_writer



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst and Feels, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Implied Sexual Content, Secrets, no real smut because i can't write it to save my life ngl, older sister ryder, the third ryder sibling appears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-27 01:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 37,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20939954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gh03st_writer/pseuds/gh03st_writer
Summary: Phoenix Ryder got herself exiled after joining the revolt on the Nexus when both the Arks and Pathfinders were nowhere in sight.After over a year of coping with losing her family and being stranded in a whole new galaxy, she finally gets word of an Ark docking the Nexus: the Ark Hyperion.The arrival of the Hyperion and its Pathfinder shakes Phoenix's world and forces her to consider her position as an information dealer on Kadara.





	1. Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I added more to this first chapter, so this will be the first official chapter.  
I've had this idea rolling around in my head for a while especially since I just finished my second playthrough of Andromeda. Phoenix is the older sister of the Ryder twins and is in an established relationship with Reyes.  
I am planning to have this go through the entire game starting from Kadara.

Phoenix tapped her foot to the music as she leaned against the railing that overlooked Kralla’s Song. It had already more than a year since she was exiled to Kadara with the rest of the members of the Initiative that revolted when the Arks were nowhere in sight and nothing was being done to make anybody feel any better about it. She had made a decent home for herself, if she were to be the judge and jury of her own life, club owner and information dealer wasn’t as bad of a gig as the rest of the world would like you to believe.  
Someone silently walked up next to her and whispered in her ear about someone who just docked and had information regarding the Nexus she would want to hear. Phoenix arched her eyebrow and glanced at the individual next to her before pushing herself off the railing and walking towards the exit, “I’m on my way.”  
She silently made her way to the dock, wondering what this information was the value of bringing it all the way out to the home of the exiles. Phoenix noticed the man waiting for her, he was a little twitchy for someone trying to make a deal with Andromeda’s most prominent information dealer, “I heard you had information for me.”  
The man rubbed the back of his neck and look over his shoulder, Phoenix couldn’t decide if it was a nervous twitch or if he was trying to make sure he wouldn’t be shot in the back once the words left his mouth, “Can we do this somewhere less crowded?”  
Phoenix folded her arms, her impatience getting the better of her, “Look, I don’t have times to play games, either you give me the information and I compensate you or I have you kicked off the port.”  
The man shuffled his feet closer to Phoenix so that he could whisper within earshot, “It’s about the human Pathfinder.”  
She inhaled a sharp breath and looked at the man incredulously, last she knew none of the Arks had made it to Andromeda, “If you’re lying, I’ll drown you in the deepest lake on Kadara.”  
Phoenix turned on her heels and started to walk back to Kralla’s song. The man stared at her, unsure if he should follow or if he should stay where he was. She looked over her shoulder when she didn’t hear footsteps behind her, “Are you coming or do I need to find someone to drag you?”  
The man quickly moved his feet and did his best to catch up to Phoenix and follow her to a hidden room in Kralla’s Song that she used as her office of sorts.  
She sat on a nearby couch and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, making her look just as intimidating as every rumor had made her out to be. The man continued to shuffle his feet nervously and twitch. Phoenix huffed, “Calm down, this is one of the most confidential rooms in Kadara, if you have secrets to tell then this is where to do, so stop shuffling and get on with it.”  
The man looked at the door nervously before deciding that Phoenix was probably right, “I heard that the Ark Hyperion made it to the Nexus and the human Pathfinder showed up but it wasn’t the one they were expecting, this one’s a woman, not Alec Ryder.”  
Phoenix’s eyes turned into slits as she absorbed the man’s information, “What else?”  
The man continued to fidget, “This Pathfinder can control the Remnant, she is restoring the Vaults and making planets livable.”  
She stared at the man for a moment, nearly burning holes through him as she processed everything she told him. He shifted from one foot to the other as he watched her take in everything he told her. She lifted her Omni-tool and transferred credits to him, “Thank you for the information, this should be more than enough to compensate you for your time,” and waved him away. The man thanked her and left quickly.  
Phoenix ran a hand through her hair before rolling her shoulders as she leaned back against the couch. A million things ran through her head as she considered the implications of what the man said. If the Ark Hyperion really did finally reach the Nexus and the Pathfinder that was leading them wasn’t her father then she wanted to know who the hell it was. There is only one other person on Kadara that she could ask without raising any flags or having to pay to get the answers she needed.  
Reyes Vidal.  
Phoenix took the lift to the Slums, acknowledging everyone who waved at her or said their hellos. The number of people who knew her in Kadara Port seemed to grow each day and she wondered just how far into Andromeda her name has been spoken. It’s a dangerous game, trading information, but she enjoyed chasing death every now and again. Her father called her an adrenaline junkie, she wondered what he would call her now.  
She entered Tartarus and stopped by the bar before heading to Reyes’ room. Kian started mixing a drink for her, Phoenix always ordered the same thing when she came to Tartarus, “What brings the Madam of Kadara to my bar?”  
Phoenix laughed and gratefully took the drink from Kian, “The only smuggler on this damn rock worth my time.”  
Kian started to clean a bar glass, “You just missed him.”  
“I’m patient, I’ll wait,” Phoenix replied with a smirk that said more than her words.  
Kian shook their head as Phoenix walked off towards Reyes’ private room. One of the few benefits of Reyes having this room was that it got some of the best transmission signals in the Port.  
Phoenix opened the door and flopped on the couch, opening her Omni-tool and waving her hand to project the screen on the nearby wall. She scrolled through her messages and the information she had coming in from several people she had stationed in various parts of Andromeda. There was a key phrase she was looking for: Human Pathfinder. She narrowed her search and started to immediately find what she was looking for; the Human Pathfinder was a hot topic in Andromeda and gaining traction by the minute.  
Hours flew by as Phoenix sorted and read through every mention of the Human Pathfinder, and what she found shook her to her core:  
The Human Pathfinder was not her father, Alec Ryder died on Habitat 7 shortly after making landfall and restoring the Vault. The new Pathfinder is her little sister, Artemis Ryder, the only Ryder twin to wake up from cryo, leaving Apollo Ryder stuck in a coma until they can safely wake him up. Artemis Ryder has successfully freed the Moshae from the Kett and restored three more Vaults in the process; creating a strong alliance with the Angara.  
Phoenix leaned forward in an attempt to make sure what she was reading was really there. She lifted her hand to her cheek as she felt something run down her face, her hand came away wet and it made her realize she had started to cry. She thought her family was lost to dark space, the very thought of having the chance to see them again overwhelmed her with an emotion she hadn’t felt since being exiled to Kadara: hope.  
She was so wrapped up in her own emotions that she hadn’t even noticed the door open and that Reyes had walked in.  
Reyes noticed Phoenix’s tears and wrinkled brow the minute he stepped in the room. He shut the door behind him and crouched down next to her to be able to grab her attention, “What’s wrong?”  
Phoenix barely heard his voice, the entire world sounded like it was submerged in water. She slowly registered his words and looked over to find him looking up at her, tears still streaming down her face, “My family made it.”


	2. XOXO Phoenix

“What,” Reyes wasn’t sure at first if he had heard her correctly, her words muddled in a whisper filled with emotion.  
“The Human Ark made it to the Nexus, my family made it to Andromeda,” Phoenix uttered.  
“That’s great,” Reyes brought his hands up to hold her face and wipe away her tears, “Then these are tears of joy?”  
Phoenix barely registered his hands on her face, “I don’t…I don’t know,” she laughed suddenly, sadly, as she started to fully process her emotions in real-time. Her hands covered Reyes’ as he held her face, “I came here for answers and it looks like I learned more than I wanted to.”  
“Ah, the curse of the information dealer,” Reyes moved to sit next to her and pulled her into his arms.  
Phoenix melted into him, welcoming the comfort, “Thank you.”  
Reyes brushed a piece of hair from her face as she leaned against him, “Of course.”  
He didn’t need to ask her to elaborate, Reyes was the only one that Phoenix ever let herself be vulnerable around since the revolt and it weighed on her more than she was willing to admit.  
She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before opening her Omni-tool, “Now, be a dear and help me write a message to my little sister that won’t cause her to immediately panic or burst into tears like I just did.”  
***  
“You have new email at your terminal, Pathfinder,” SAM’s voice rang out through the Tempest.  
Sara stretched, she had just gotten out of a meeting with Evfra and the Moshae after restoring Aya’s Vault, “Thanks, SAM.”  
She told Kallo and to set their destination for Kadara, home of the exiles and where she needed to meet the Resistance’s contact to get a hold of the Angara that helped the Kett capture the Moshae. The walk to her quarters felt to drag on a lot longer than it did, exhaustion starting to get to her. Sara flopped on her bed and laid there for a moment before considering the possible importance of the email someone sent her. She grunted, “SAM, who is my email from?”  
SAM’s voice echoed in Sara’s head, “You have an email from the Moshae, Evfra, several of the crew, and Phoenix.”  
At the mention of her sister’s name, Sara immediately shot out of bed and rushed over to her email terminal. She scrolled until she landed on the email in question. It brought a strange sensation to her heart; Sara had asked Tempest leaders more than once what had happened to Phoenix and where she was but no one would give her a straight answer. She was hoping that her trip to Kadara would give her any sort of clue, and it looks like her hopes were being answered.

_ Hey Little Sis _   
_ Welcome to Andromeda!_   
_ I’m sure it’s already been more than we bargained for because it certainly was for me._   
_ I have so much I want to tell you but it’ll be easier to do it in person._   
_ I’m not exactly welcome on the Nexus right now so stop by Kadara when you get the chance and go to a club called Kralla’s Song. We can chat, have a drink, and try to make sense of all this._   
_ XOXO Your Favorite Ryder,_   
_ Phoenix._

***  
Phoenix closed her Omni-tool with a sense of finality and a feeling of anxiety she wasn’t familiar with. A sense of doubt had wormed itself into the pit of her stomach and left a question nagging inside her, “What if she doesn’t come, what if she’s angry with me about the revolt and hates me for being exiled?”  
“If all the rumors I’ve heard about the Human Pathfinder are true,” Reyes assured her, “Then she’s already on her way here to either kick your ass for joining the revolt or to hug you after being separated for over six hundred years.”  
Phoenix hummed, “That’s true,” she immediately picked up on the mention of rumors he claimed to have heard and shifted so that she was facing him, “And what exactly have you heard about the Human Pathfinder?”  
A chuckle left Reyes’ lips as his mouth formed a lazy smirk and he tightened his arm around her waist, bringing her that much closer to him, “Slight correction, The Charlatan has heard rumors about the Pathfinder, can’t share Collective secrets for free.”  
Phoenix’s eyes stared at his lips as he spoke before meeting his eyes with a fire in her own, “Good thing Madam Kadara always compensates her informants.”  
Reyes caught a glimmer of sadness behind the fire in her eyes; she was trying to distract herself from everything she found out about her family and he knew it. He searched her eyes, wondering what part of finding out her family made it across dark space could sadden her.  
She smiled, “What is it?”  
He matched her smile and rested his forehead against her own, “I’m not going to be your distraction when I don’t know what’s bothering you.”  
Reyes felt her wrinkle her brow in mock confusion, “What are you talking about, you love distracting me.”  
He laughed, “That is true,” he kissed her before they separated, “Are you okay?”  
Phoenix knew he could see right through her, and she hated him for it sometimes, “Honestly, no, I’m nowhere near okay,” she clenched her jaw and did her best to not burst into tears as she searched his face for any sort of reaction. She hadn’t taken the time she needed to process the death of her father, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to but knew it was needed.  
He could see there was more she wasn’t saying but he didn’t want to press her for information she wasn’t ready to share.  
She met his eyes and it made her want to cry even more; he was always there to be the support she needed even when all she wanted was a distraction. Her hands began to light up blue as she got up from the couch, “My father is dead, Reyes, my father died and I wasn’t there to save him!”  
Reyes watched as Phoenix clenched and unclenched her fists, knowing that her biotics were always within the realm of her control. He wanted to offer her comfort but also knew she needed to work through it on her own.  
Phoenix punched the wall and left a decent size dent, letting her biotics help her release some of the anger that was beginning to build up, “He never made it off Habitat 7, my stubborn ass father put himself before the entire Ark and it ended up getting him killed!”  
She huffed as her fists stopped glowing blue, she ran her hands through her hair and started to pace to hide the tears that were starting to fall, “He was always so stubborn and, when it came down to it, he always put others before himself, I told him it was gonna be the death of him and I was right, he died saving the lives of thousands for a galaxy that has done nothing but blame him for helping put this whole shit show of an Initiative together!”  
Reyes caught her hand as she paced and gently pulled her into an embrace, “I’m sorry about your father, I never met him but I heard he was a great man.”  
Phoenix melted into his arms as she started to sob. Her father was gone, her brother was in a coma, and her sister is out saving an unforgiving galaxy to help make a home for everyone from the Milky Way.  
Memories of her family started to run through her mind and her father’s words played on repeat: ‘Be a better soldier than I ever was.’ That’s all he would ever say whenever she made a mistake, it was his way of saying that she was better than whatever dumb decision she made and she always hated it but right now all she wanted was to hear him say it one more time.  
Nearly an hour passed before Phoenix began to reign her emotions back into control. She chuckled, “I’m sorry, I just lost it.”  
“You never need to apologize to me, I’ll always be your shoulder to cry on,” Reyes assured her.  
The sincerity in his voice made her smile, she looked into his eyes, “Reyes Vidal, you’re the best thing that has happened to me since I came to Andromeda.”  
He looked at her with his signature lopsided smile and it filled her with a warmth she would do anything to feel for the rest of her life.


	3. Promises of Dreams Never Deliver

The sun had set on Kadara hours ago, the oranges and purples filling the sky slowly turned to black and filled with stars as Phoenix and Reyes drifted to sleep in Reyes’ room in Tartarus.   
A banging at the door woke them and Phoenix groaned, “Maybe if we ignore them they’ll go away.”  
The banging became more persistent as the person on the other end shouted, “Madam Kadara, I know you’re in there, Sloane wants to talk to you!”  
“Tell Sloane, it’s late and I couldn’t care less about what she wants,” Phoenix shouted back, “I’m not a lap dog, I don’t come running when called!”  
“Sloane said that you might say that,” the voice remarked, “She told me to mention that it was about a Doctor Carlyle.”  
Phoenix’s ears perked up at the mention of Harry Carlyle, she weighed her pros and cons, hesitating a moment before replying, “I’ll meet with Sloane in an hour.”  
The sound of footsteps could be heard as the owner of the voice walked away, more or less happy with Phoenix’s reply. A sigh escaped her lips as she began to get up, untangling herself from Reyes. Phoenix stretched as she stood, Reyes stayed laying on the couch and wondered aloud, “Who’s Doctor Carlyle?”  
Phoenix thought about how she should reply, and if she were honest she would say that Carlyle was someone special, “A friend.”  
Reyes knew that there was more to her relationship with Carlyle than she was letting on, “You’ve never mentioned them before.”  
Phoenix knew she would have to tell him the truth about Carlyle, especially since the simple mention of his name was able to make her agree to meet someone in the dead of night, “I’ll make you a deal, be in my room in Kralla’s Song when I finish talking with Sloane and I’ll tell you anything you want,” she smirked, “Free of charge.”  
Reyes considered her offer before taking her hand and pulling her down towards him, “Deal.”   
She laughed as their lips met and they started to melt into each other again. Reluctantly, she pulled away, “Keep that up and I’ll miss my meeting with Sloane.”  
It was Reyes’ turn to smirk, “Would that be so bad.”  
She shook her head playfully and walked towards the door, “Maybe, maybe not, but tonight’s not the night I want to figure that out.”  
Tartarus was still quite alive with the sounds of patrons and bartender alike. Phoenix barely registered the noise as she left the club and headed towards the lift to the Port. Her mind ran through every possible thing Sloane could tell her but one question kept popping into her mind: how the fuck did Sloane know about Harry.  
She reached the Outcast headquarters and stopped at the guards, “Sloane requested to see me.”  
The guard on her left, a new one by the looks of it, puffed his chest out to make himself seem more intimidating, “Head in, but don’t even think about trying anything.”  
Phoenix looked the guard over, her walk from Tartarus to Outcast headquarters had given her enough time to turn her mood from annoyed to aggravated, leaving her with little to no patience for people who thought they could intimidate her. She glared at the new guard and glanced at the older guard that stood on the other side of the door, “You should teach the rookies some manners.”  
The older guard was about to say something but was interrupted when Phoenix used her biotics to slam the newer guard against the closest wall as she walked through the door. She could hear the older guard muttering and telling the newer guard he should pay attention to who he’s talking to.  
The other guards parted ways to let Phoenix through, knowing why she was here. She entered the room where Sloane sat atop her throne as if she were the high and mighty ruler of Kadara. Sloane laughed, noticing Phoenix’s mood, “Who got all your panties in a twist?”  
Phoenix rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her, “I was told you had information about Doctor Carlyle.”  
Sloane leaned back in her seat and smiled, “Not really, I just needed something to get your attention.”  
Phoenix clenched her jaw with enough strength that borderlined on breaking her own teeth, “I don’t take well to being lied to, how the fuck do you even know about him?”  
Sloane chuckled, “I have my sources, but don’t worry Madam Kadara, I won’t air your dirty laundry out to dry,” she paused for a moment, “I just need information and I heard you were slumming it with that third-rate smuggler Vidal.”  
“Information isn’t cheap,” Phoenix stared Sloane down, “My usual price plus a hundred credits for lying to me and another hundred for your smartass remark.”   
Sloane nodded and transferred the credits, “Sounds fair, knew my mouth would cost me something,” she contemplated her request for a moment, “Now, tell me about the Human Pathfinder.”  
Phoenix shifted so that she was leaning to her left, “She’s become quite the hot topic in Andromeda recently, her SAM implant has given her the uncanny ability to interact with the Remnant and restore Vaults, helping boost the viability of previously unlivable planets.”  
“Does she have a name,” Sloane questioned.  
“Ryder,” Phoenix replied, “Artemis Ryder.”  
“Thank you, Madam Kadara,” Sloane’s voice patronizing, “I appreciate your time.”  
Phoenix contemplated the reasons why Sloane would want to know about the Pathfinder, deciding that the need to know probably came with the territory of trying to rule an entire Port on an outlaw planet. She turned and headed towards the door, stopping short of the doorway as she considered the implications of Sloane knowing about the Pathfinder, “Oh, and Sloane, I’m sure you’ve already figured out that the Pathfinder and I are family, so that means if you decide that the Pathfinder needs to be removed, I will personally make sure that such a decision will be the last thought you ever have.”  
Sloane chuckled, “Is that a threat?”  
Phoenix smiled sweeter than syrup, “It’s a promise.”  
The guards eyed Phoenix as she left, very well aware of the danger she posed to their leader. She passed the newer guard who she slammed against the wall earlier and noticed how he averted his gaze when she walked by, “You know son,” she grabbed his attention, “Let our little interaction be a warning that when you try to intimidate someone like me, you need a bigger gun.”  
The older guard chuckled to himself as Phoenix continued her walk away from Outcast headquarters and towards Kralla’s Song. She rolled her shoulders out as she walked, the tension she was building up in her muscles nearly made her want to jump into one of Kadara’s many acidic lakes.   
The door to the club slid open as she entered and the music flowed out onto the Port before the door shut behind her. Umi nodded to acknowledge Phoenix’s entrance and Phoenix returned the greeting with a tired wave of her own.   
Phoenix entered her room to find Reyes sleeping in her bed, his shirt tossed on the floor. She laughed at how domestic he made the whole room look; it reminded her of her apartment on the Citadel that she shared with Harry before the Initiative was born. It made her wonder if they had never boarded the Nexus and crossed dark space, where would they be now.   
She began to undress down to her shirt and underwear before sliding in next to Reyes. He stirred as she laid against him, his back to her. The bed shifted as Reyes turned so that he was facing her as he wrapped his arms around her, his voice raspy from sleep, “What took you so long?”  
Phoenix smiled and subconsciously ran a hand down his arm, “Sloane likes to hear herself talk.”  
He laughed as a yawn escaped his lips, “I think you’re the only one who thinks that.”   
“Mmm, you’re probably right,” Phoenix’s smile evident in her voice. She watched him, took in every feature of his face, it made her feel like everything was how it was supposed to be; that they weren’t two criminal bosses trying to survive in an unforgiving galaxy, and instead, they were just two people finding happiness in the comfort of one another.  
Reyes knew that look in her eyes, the misty far off dream of a home they were promised but never given, “Would you like a map?”  
It took Phoenix longer for her to register his words than she would like to admit, “Why would I want a map?”  
“Because, I think you’re lost in my eyes,” Reyes grinned.  
“I hate you,” Phoenix laughed and playfully pushed him away, “Can’t you learn any new pickup lines.”  
He hummed and pulled her back into him, “Never.”  
She softly shook her head and smiled, “I can’t stand you.”  
“Good thing we’re laying down,” he teased.  
Phoenix laughed, it was moments like these that helped her to forget for a brief moment that she was one of the most infamous women in Andromeda.   
That she was anyone at all.   
There was a soft silence in the room as the two of them enjoyed each other’s comfort and drifted off to sleep. Phoenix knew that she would have some explaining to do when they woke up. Reyes isn’t one to forget about the deals he makes; especially when it’s with her.


	4. Dirty Laundry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ch gets a little spicy ngl so just a heads up lol

_“Be a better soldier than I ever was,” Alec’s voice echoed in her head._

_ Her hands trembled as she held onto her Alliance issued assault rifle, it was her first mission as an N7 and her nerves were already starting to get the better of her before they even made landfall. She looked around the small shuttle, taking in the faces of Alliance marines and shuttle personnel. _

_“Alright team, we get in, save our people, and get out,” Alec shouted over the comms, “Any questions?”_

_The shuttle was silent as everyone prepared to hit the ground running. Alec clapped Phoenix’s shoulder, “Ready, kiddo?”_

_Phoenix smiled, “Born ready.”_

_Alec chuckled as the shuttle landed and the doors opened. Marines started to file out, ready to see their mission through. Phoenix stepped out of the shuttle and her surroundings shifted; suddenly she was on Habitat 7. _

_She frantically looked around for any of the other members of her team but was only greeted by her father. Phoenix rushed over to Alec and immediately noticed his lack of a helmet, she knew something wasn’t adding up, “Dad, where are we and where’s your helmet, are you crazy?”_

_Alec smiled with a twinge of sadness, “Take care of your siblings, Nix.”_

_Phoenix knit her brows together, “What are you talking about?”_

_Alec looked off towards the horizon, “My time’s up,” he looked back towards her and pulled her into a strong embrace, “You’re a better soldier than I ever was, Nix, never doubt that.”_

_“What,” Phoenix was at a loss for words, her mind not able to comprehend what was happening, “Dad…”_

_They separated and Alec smiled warmly as he began to disappear. Phoenix reached out to take hold of him but her hand met nothing but air, “Dad, where are you going?!”_

Phoenix shot up in her bed in a cold sweat, her breath labored, “Dad!”

She took in her surroundings and recognized that she was still in her room in Kralla’s Song. Reyes immediately woke up next to her, her voice startling him, “What’s wrong?!”

Phoenix slowly gained control of her breathing again, “Nothing, I just had a bad dream, go back to sleep.”

Reyes took in her disheveled state, leaning against the wall behind him, “Do you want to talk?”

Phoenix leaned back against him and sighed, “Sure, dealer’s choice.”

He could tell that Phoenix wasn’t ready to talk about what woke her but she needed a distraction to help her mind process everything without making her want to pull her hair out. Reyes remembered the deal she made with him before running off to go meet with Sloane and she wasn’t about to get off the hook for leaving his room early because of the mention of a friend she’s never talked about before, “Doctor Carlyle.”

“What about him,” Phoenix asked, she wondered how much information he wanted to know.

Reyes absentmindedly brushed his hand through her hair, “Whatever you’re willing to tell me.”

Phoenix contemplated how much she was going to tell him; she didn’t want to hide anything from him but also wondered if it would change anything between them. It was a strange thing for her to worry about, she knew that past relationships were never a problem between them before but there was still a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach planting a seed of doubt. She wrapped one of his arms around herself and intertwined their fingers, her voice carrying a tone of dramatic flair, “Well, buckle up, because this is a tale of romance, drama, and heartbreak.”

Reyes raised his eyebrows, “That interesting?”

Phoenix grinned, “Absolutely, my life before Andromeda was nothing if not interesting.”

They laughed and Phoenix continued to tell Reyes about Carlyle, “Doctor Harry Carlyle and I met on the Citadel after I got caught in the crossfire of a back alley fight in the Wards, after that I started to find other excuses to see him, you could say it was love at first stitch.”

Phoenix could feel Reyes trying to hold back his laughter, “What’s so funny?”

“You sound like a schoolgirl with a crush on the boy next door,” Reyes replied, “It’s cute.”

“I guess it is,” Phoenix laughed warmly, “Harry and I started our little love affair probably a year after that, we even went so far as to live together on the Citadel for three years before the Nexus left for Andromeda,” there was more to the story but she decided to save the part about heartbreak for another day. She looked at their intertwined fingers and wondered if their relationship would share the same fate.

“That’s more than a little love affair,” Reyes remarked, doing his best to reassure her despite his own bubbling feelings of jealousy. He could tell something was bothering about her relationship with Carlyle that she wasn’t telling him.

Phoenix noticed a change in the demeanor of his voice. She moved so that she was straddling his lap, her voice taking a teasing tone of its own, “Are you jealous, Vidal?”

“A little,” Reyes responded, “Can you blame me?”

Phoenix hummed, “I guess not, I would be the same way if it was the other way around,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, “If it helps, age was a major factor to the end of our relationship.”

“How so,” Reyes questioned.

“Harry is almost twenty years older than me,” Phoenix replied.

“An older man,” Reyes gasped, “Scandalous.”

Phoenix laughed as he flipped them over so that she was lying underneath him. Cognac eyes stared up at him with warmth as her hair splayed out underneath her like a sunset-colored halo highlighting the golden tones of her skin. Her smile bright enough to light up the darkest rooms.

“Do you need a map,” Phoenix remarked, “Because I think you’re the one lost in my eyes now.”

“Not lost,” Reyes smiled as he brought his lips to her throat, “Just enjoying the view.”

Phoenix bit her bottom lip as a moan escaped her lips and Reyes slowly made his way down her body.

The rest of their morning and early afternoon was spent tangled together in bed.

Phoenix rested her head on Reyes’ chest as both checked their own respective Omni-tools for emails. Reyes showed Phoenix one of the messages he received from Angaran Resistance, “Look, they want me to meet with the human Pathfinder in Kralla’s Song about Vehn Tarav.”

“That traitor,” Phoenix said, “What would she want with him?”

“Something about his part in giving the Moshae to the Kett,” Reyes replied.

Phoenix made a sound of acknowledgement as she continued to scroll through her own email. She chuckled when she saw one from her sister, “Guess we both have a date with the Pathfinder.”

Reyes looked at Phoenix’s Omni-tool as she read the email:

_ Hey Back _

_I have to meet a contact on Kadara so you could say I’ll be in the area._

_I’ll meet you in Kralla’s Song after I meet up with my contact._

_<3 Artemis_

“Looks a little,” Reyes chose his words carefully, “Lackluster if you ask me.”

Phoenix tilted her head to look at him, “What did you expect, confetti to shoot out of my Omni-tool when I opened the email?”

Reyes chuckled, “No, but I thought that an email between sisters that haven’t seen each other in over six hundred years would be more heartfelt.”

“Artemis has always been a woman of action more than one of words,” Phoenix told Reyes, “She gets that from me.”

Reyes closed his Omni-tool and stretched, “Then Kadara Port is in for quite the surprise, two impulsive Ryder women on the loose.”

Phoenix sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, “You have no idea.”

She stood and walked over to where she kept her clothes before turning to Reyes and throwing him his shirt, “Ready to do the walk of shame?”

He laughed at her teasing tone, catching his shirt midair, “What walk of shame,” he scoffed, “I’m pretty sure Umi thinks I live here.”

“I’m sure Kian could say the same with how much time I spend in your room in Tartarus,” Phoenix sat to put on her boots. She opened her Omni-tool quickly and sent out a message for one of her operatives to meet her in Spirits’ Ledge. The Carnifex pistol she got from her father when she graduated the N7 program laid on a side table next to her bed, she picked it up to check its ammo and make sure the safety was still on; getting shot in the foot when she put it in the holster on her upper thigh wasn’t the plan.

Reyes watched her check her gun, “Big plans today?”

Phoenix shrugged, “Not really, just going to settle a couple of debts.”

“Want a hand,” Reyes offered, he knew he couldn’t go personally but he had no problem sending a person or two from the Collective.

Phoenix shook her head and walked towards the door, “No, Fardok is going with me.”

Reyes nodded, happy with her response; having a Krogan on your side meant that your chances of getting whatever you wanted increased significantly.

They parted ways at the lift, Reyes went down to the Slums and Phoenix grabbed her shuttle and headed to Spirits’ Ledge.

Phoenix landed her shuttle in a hidden cave, Fardok met her a few clicks away. The Krogan greeted Phoenix with a strong pat on the back, “How’s Madam Kadara today?”

“Ready to crack some skulls,” she returned his greeting.

Fardok laughed with his whole body, “That’s why I like you, you think like a Krogan!”

Phoenix showed Fardok a map of the local area and pointed towards an area that was just below them, “That’s where we’re headed, we get in, I get my credits, and maybe even get a good fight in if we’re lucky.”

“I hope so,” Fardok chuckled, “I need a good work out.”

The two of them made their way below and were greeted by gunfire. Phoenix raised her arm in front of and the bullets bounced right back towards the area they came from. She waved her hand out towards the same area and sent a shockwave of biotic force forward.

Fardok charged forward as a building came in view and Phoenix took cover behind a nearby boulder to assess the situation. She counted six men shooting and two snipers on either side of the building. A smile stretched across her face as she realized this collection errand would be a challenge after all. The ground around her started to pulsate as she focused her biotics into a deadly force surrounding her and she turned the safety on her handgun off.

The battle lasted no longer than an hour before Phoenix and Fardok reached the person Phoenix was collecting from. She pointed her gun at the woman’s head, “Alright, that was nice but play time’s over Danny, where’s my money.”

Danny sneered, “Why, just so you can kill me anyway?!”

“I hadn’t planned on it,” Phoenix replied matter-of-factly, “I’m not Sloane, I don’t kill people I do business with, as long as they keep their end of the bargain.”

“So why the Krogan,” Danny questioned.

Phoenix looked at her as if the woman was stupid, “Because, I’m not dumb enough to go into a gunfight unprepared,” her tone became increasingly impatient, “I suggest you pay me what you owe, my friend behind me tends to get a little trigger happy when he’s bored.”

Danny quickly transferred the credits she owed, “There, payment in full.”

“Lovely doing business with you,” Phoenix smiled and lowered her gun just as it went off and Danny yelled, dropping to the ground and holding her leg.

“What the fuck was that for,” Danny screamed.

Phoenix holstered her pistol, “Late payments incur interest, Danny.”

Danny cursed as Phoenix and Fardok left the building. Phoenix opened her Omni-tool and transferred credits to Fardok, “This was fun, let’s do it again some time.”

Fardok laughed, “Say the word and I’m there.”

Phoenix waved her goodbye to Fardok and boarded her shuttle. She started the shuttle’s engine as her Omni-tool began to blink, indicating she had a call incoming. She sighed, “An information broker’s job is never done.”

She set the shuttle’s nav point for Kadara Port and turned on the autopilot before leaning back in her seat and answering the Omni-tool, “If you’re calling for to inquire about information, send me an email, otherwise talk quickly.”

“Actually,” Reyes voice came from the other end of the call, “I was calling to see if you would have dinner with me.”

Phoenix welcomed the warm tones of his voice, “Normally, I don’t dine with my clients, but I’ll make an exception for you.”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll start thinking you like me,” Reyes said.

Phoenix smiled to herself, “Well, considering I let you sleep in my bed, it’s safe to assume I don’t hate you.”

She could hear the grin in his voice, “Meet me outside Kadara Port in two hours.”

The call ended shortly after and Phoenix wondered what he had planned.


	5. Wounds, Old and New

Phoenix waited for Reyes outside Kadara Port, mindlessly scrolling through the information she was being fed from several of her sources outside Kadara. Many of them talked about the waves the Pathfinder was making through Andromeda and Phoenix silently prayed that her little sister would be okay despite the danger she faced.

“Do you ever stop working,” Reyes wondered aloud as he walked up to her.

Phoenix shut her Omni-tool, “Only when something really interesting happens.”

He grinned, “Good thing I planned something really interesting then.”

She raised one of her eyebrows, “Oh?”

That he did.

Reyes took Phoenix out to one of the few ledges in Kadara that was not as well known to any of the Exiles. It had both a perfect view of the night sky and the sunrise. He pointed up towards the night sky towards a constellation, “I’m sure the Angara already have a word for it, but if I’m not mistaken it looks close to the Phoenix constellation back in the Milky Way.”

Phoenix stared up at the constellation and he was right; it looked almost just like the constellation back home. Now, she was certain that one of those stars was probably an Angaran satellite or an asteroid of some sort but she loved it none the less, “Thank you.”

They spent the rest of the evening point out constellations to each other and talking about what-ifs.

The next day, they prepared to meet the Pathfinder in Kralla’s Song. Reyes sent Phoenix a message saying he had something to take care of before meeting the Pathfinder and that she should use the time to reunite with her sister before duty came in the way.

Phoenix pulled up a seat at the bar and asked Umi to mix her a drink while she waited for her sister to show up. She wondered if Artemis would look the same, or if that twinkle of adventure in her eyes had already been extinguished by the harsh galaxy they were forced to call home.

Umi handed Phoenix the drink and nodded her head in the direction of the door, “Pathfinder inbound.”

Phoenix looked over and sure enough, Umi was right, Artemis had entered Kralla’s Song.

Artemis just about took a running start at Phoenix and slammed into her, “Nix!”

Phoenix laughed and hugged her sister tighter than she previously thought possible, “Missy, I thought I lost you to dark space.”

“Nix,” Artemis’ voice began to crack with emotion, “So much has happened, Scott and Dad…”

“I know, Missy,” Phoenix reassured her sister, “Trust me, I know.”

Artemis loosened her grip on her sister to look her in the eyes, “How?”

Phoenix smiled, happy to see that the twinkle in Artemis’ eyes hadn’t died out quite yet, and motioned for the Pathfinder to take a seat, “Sit, have a drink and I’ll tell you about everything, start to finish.”

Artemis did as Phoenix suggested and took a drink from Umi, thanking the bartender. Phoenix took the seat across from Artemis and swirled her drink, “As I’m sure you’ve heard and seen, our initial arrival in Andromeda didn’t go as planned, with no Arks in sight and no Pathfinders to help give us direction, things started to get a little out of control.”

“Yeah, that’s one way to put it,” Artemis remarked.

“A revolt broke out,” Phoenix continued, “And everyone who participated in the revolt was Exiled to a planet we weren’t even sure we could survive on, but we did, not all of us are criminals you know, but the Nexus turned us into the boogeymen of Andromeda so we did our best with what we were given.”

Artemis absorbed everything her sister was telling her, “And where does that leave you?”

Phoenix smiled warmly, “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine, I’ve made a home for myself here by trading and selling information.”

“What,” Artemis replied in disbelief, “What are you, the Shadow Broker of Andromeda?”

Phoenix thought about Artemis’ words for a moment, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Artemis laughed, “Well, then that explains how you were able to figure out I made to Andromeda before I had even heard of Kadara.”

“Oh, little sis,” Phoenix replied, “You have no idea the kind of waves you’ve been making and the things I’ve heard because of said waves.”

Artemis groaned, “I can guess.”

The two women sat in silence for a moment, millions of questions running through their respective minds. Phoenix was the first to break the silence, “I heard about Dad, Missy, and Scott,” her voice started to crack as emotions she thought she had gained control of threatened to reemerge, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

To see her older sister start to break down tore Artemis apart and broke her heart, “Nix, there’s nothing you could have done, for either of them,” she reassured Phoenix, “Dad’s death was the cause of a freak accident and Scott’s coma is only temporary.”

Phoenix took a deep breath and did her best to reign in her emotions, “How is Scott, all things considered.”

Artemis smiled, “He’s stable, Harry is watching over him on the Hyperion.”

“Then he’s in good hands,” Phoenix replied, the mention of Harry and knowing it meant that he survived the landfall on Habitat 7 warmed her heart despite the unresolved emotions she held towards the doctor.

“He asked about you, ya know,” Artemis searched Phoenix’s face for a reaction, “Harry.”

Phoenix scoffed, her voice breathy in disbelief as she shook her head, “Did he now, a little surprising considering he was the one who wanted nothing to do with me once Dad breathed the phrase Andromeda Initiative.”

Artemis could tell by the way Phoenix clenched her jaw that she was still carrying mixed emotions from her past with the doctor, “Nix-”

“I guess this galaxy is just full of surprises,” Phoenix cut her off and stirred her drink, watching the liquid inside the cup swirl. She searched for the words to describe what she was feeling before she looked up to find her sister’s eyes filled with sympathy and compassion. Phoenix shook her head to try and get rid of the melancholic emotions she was feeling, “Don’t look at me like that.”

Artemis wrinkled her brow, “Like what?”

“Like I’m some puppy you found abandoned on the side of the road,” Phoenix replied.

“Well, in my defense you kind of look like one right now,” Artemis told her.

Phoenix laughed and punched her sister’s arm, “Punk.”

Artemis cradled her arm and rubbed it, “You bitch, that hurt!”

“Good,” Phoenix replied, “It was supposed to!”

The two women burst into laughter at the familiar interaction. Phoenix took a deep breath, trying to control her laughter, “I’ve missed having my little sister around to bicker with.”

“I think the word you're looking for is bully,” Artemis argued.

Phoenix shook her head, “No, I’m pretty sure it’s bicker.”

Artemis rolled her eyes, “Yeah, okay, you can explain that to the doctor on my ship when she sees the bruise on my arm after tonight.”

Phoenix lifted her cup to her lips with a grin on her face, the happiness of finally having her sister back and it not be a dream starting to set in. She set her cup down only to have Umi grab her attention.

Umi placed a lingering glance on the doorway before looking back towards Phoenix, “Not to be a buzzkill, but Bastle just walked in with about four other guys, most likely armed.”

Phoenix sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance, “Clear the club.”

Artemis watched the conversation between Umi and Phoenix, confusion etched in the wrinkle of her brow, “Who’s Bastle?”

Phoenix stood from her seat at the bar as Umi shouted at everyone to either get lost or get shot, “Someone who apparently doesn’t know when they’ve lost,” she looked at her sister as Artemis mirrored Phoenix and stood, “You might want to leave, Missy, because this is going to get a little messy.”

Artemis folded her arms in front of her, “You really think I’m going to miss the chance of helping my sister in a fight when she’s up against five people?!”

Phoenix lifted her hands in mock defense, “Alright, suit yourself.”

“Alright,” Umi announced, “All clear.”

“Good,” Phoenix shifted her attention to Bastle, “Quick question, how long did it take you to limp here with that wounded pride of yours?”

Bastle clenched his hands into fists, “You bitch, you stole my job and then you destroyed my name!”

Phoenix rolled her eyes, “Oh, don’t be so dramatic, all I did was plant the seed of doubt in your men when they came to me after you refused to pay them.”

“Bullshit,” Bastle shouted, “You wanted the money from that job just as much as the next lowlife on this damn planet, don’t make it sound like you’re some saint, you’re just as bad as I am!”

Phoenix absentmindedly readied her pistol as Bastle shouted across the room. She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck, “Are you done?”

Bastle scrunched his face in disbelief, “What?!”

Artemis did her best not to laugh at her sister’s indifference to the man. Phoenix sighed and cocked her gun, “You talk alot for a man who walked into my club with four armed men.”

“Bitch,” Bastle huffed.

Phoenix looked at Artemis, “Didn’t he already use that one?”

Artemis nodded, “I think so.”

Phoenix nodded her head, pleased, “Okay, just keeping count,” she turned her attention back to Bastle and his men, “Alright, Bastle, I’ll give you an advantage, one bullet in my gun for every man you brought here plus one more because you used the same insult twice and that’s just tacky.”

Artemis grinned and bit back her laughter at her sister’s response to the man. Bastle pulled his gun and shouted at his men, “Put a bullet in her head!”

“Finally,” Phoenix remarked, “I was starting to worry I had Umi clear out this club for nothing.”

Artemis and Phoenix dived behind cover as the men Bastle had brought with him opened fire. Phoenix quickly threw a ball of biotic force towards Bastle as Artemis trained her firearm on the men shooting in their direction. The two women worked together like a well-oiled machine to take down Bastle and his men.

Phoenix pulled her arm back to punch Bastle with enough biotic force he would land in the Slums. She cried out as a stray bullet made impact and dug itself into her back, disrupting her concentration long enough to cancel out the biotic charge she had.

Artemis quickly took care of the man that was able to land a shot on her sister as Phoenix cursed under her breath. Phoenix quickly brought her pistol up and shot Bastle in the head before he even had time to process the opportunity he was given.

Phoenix took a seat on the counter at the bar, catching her breath, “Some people never learn how to pick their battles.”

Artemis rushed to her sister, assessing the damage of her wound, “Are you okay?”

“I mean, I was just shot, so in the general sense no,” Phoenix did her best to shrug with the bullet in her back, “But personally, I’ve had worse.”

Umi’s laughter could be heard near the entrance of the club as she came out of her hiding spot, “I swear, Phoenix, that mentality is going to get you killed one day.”

“But not today,” Phoenix grinned.

Artemis put her hands on her hips with a disapproving look on her face, “We need to get you patched up.”

Phoenix nodded and grabbed a bottle of the closest thing there was to whiskey from behind the bar, “You’re not wrong, help me get up those stairs and I’ll show you where I usually do all my patchwork.”

Artemis helped her sister down from the counter and up the stairs, “Usually?!”

Phoenix laughed, “C’mon, lil sis, you really think I haven’t been shot in Andromeda until tonight.”

The door to the club slid open as the two women reached the top of the stairs. Reyes stepped through the doorway in time to hear Phoenix remark on her past and present bullet wounds. He noticed the club’s disarray and immediately brought his attention to Phoenix, “Did I just hear you say you got shot?!”

Phoenix waved her hand and continued towards her room in Kralla’s Song, “Reyes, perfect timing, be a doll and help stitch me up and I’ll introduce you to the Pathfinder.”


	6. Just Another Friday

Phoenix sat on her bed with a huff the minute the three of them reached her room, her injury starting to get to her. She took a drink from the bottle she snagged from behind the bar and pointed towards a box near the wall, “One of you grab that.”

Reyes grabbed the box and brought it over to Phoenix as she started to take off her jacket and shirt. Artemis stood off to the side, taken aback by her sister’s nonchalant attitude towards being shot. Phoenix looked at her sister and did her best not to laugh, “You think the only Pathfinder in Andromeda would be used to seeing someone get shot.”

“It’s not that I’m not used to seeing people get shot, Nix,” Artemis said, “It’s that I’m not used to seeing my big sister get shot and act like it’s just another Friday night.”

Reyes started to remove the bullet from Phoenix’s back and patch her up. Phoenix winced slightly as she felt the bullet being removed, “Can’t you be any gentler?”

He placed the bullet on a cloth next to him, “Consider it karma for getting yourself shot.”

“You say it like I asked Bastle to try and kill me,” Phoenix remarked.

“That damned arrogant pride of yours is gonna get you killed one day, Princess” Reyes responded.

Phoenix grinned, “You like my arrogant pride.”

“Not when it gets you shot,” Reyes said.

Artemis watched the interaction between the two, recognizing how familiar they are with each other. She folded her arms in front of her and leaned back against the wall behind her, “You two seem to know each other pretty well.”

“You could say that,” Reyes remarked with a smirk.

Phoenix rolled her eyes, if Reyes wasn’t busy patching up her back she would have jabbed him in the stomach, “Artemis, this is Reyes Vidal, smuggler and official pain in my ass.”

Reyes laughed as he finished patching up Phoenix and putting away everything he used, “Although this is not how I imagined our first meeting to go, it is wonderful to finally meet you, Pathfinder, I believe you know me as Shena, but I hate code names so just call me Reyes.”

An invisible lightbulb went off in Artemis’ head, “You’re my contact on Kadara!”

Reyes smiled, “Yes, I was told you’re looking for Vehn Tarav.”

Artemis nodded, “He has the location of something I need.”

“Unfortunately, Sloane has him locked up and set for public execution,” Reyes informed the Pathfinder, “The people want him dead for what he did to the Moshae and Sloane is a woman of the people.”

Artemis cursed under her breath, “Do you think there’s any way I could convince Sloane to let me talk to him.”

“I doubt it,” Phoenix told Artemis as she put her shirt and jacket back on, “But, lucky for you, Sloane is always willing to allow me an audience, probably cause it’s good for whatever popularity contest she thinks she’s winning.”

Reyes nodded as he thought of a backup plan in case Sloane refused to let them talk to Vehn, “You guys talk to Sloane and I’ll work with the Resistance to see if there’s another angle we can play.”

Phoenix clapped her hands, “Perfect,” she looked at her sister with a mischievous grin, “Now, Pathfinder, unless you have a prior engagement you need to attend to, how about we see once and for all who the best shot of the Ryder family really is.”

Artemis mirrored her sister’s grin, “You’re on.”

Phoenix headed towards the door and motioned for the two of them to follow her, “Reyes, you’re more than welcome to come and watch me show my little sister how to actually aim a gun for once in her life.”

Artemis rolled her eyes and followed Phoenix out, “In your dreams, sis, pretty sure last time I was the one who won.”

“I went easy on you last time,” Phoenix insisted.

Artemis laughed and shook her head, “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Reyes’ heart warmed as he watched the interaction between the two women, “I’d love to watch you two bicker all night but I’ve got something I have to take care of.”

Phoenix met his eyes, having an unspoken conversation with him, knowing it was Charlatan related business, “Suit yourself, Vidal.”

She played it off, knowing that his identity as the Charlatan needed to remain between him, her, and the floorboards.

Reyes waved goodbye as they parted ways and the two women headed towards where Phoenix kept her shuttle.

Phoenix set the nav point on her shuttle to head out towards Dralluir and let the shuttle stay on autopilot. She leaned back in her seat and noticed how Artemis was watching her with curiosity in her eyes, “What?”

Artemis continued to look at her sister as if she were looking into a magnifying glass, “So, what’s the story between you and Reyes.”

“Who says there’s a story,” Phoenix countered.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, “That comment right there.”

Phoenix laughed as Artemis continued to consider her observations of the two, “Either you are smitten with him and he has no idea, or, you’re already fucking.”

Phoenix gasped, “Artemis Ryder, who taught you to talk like that.”

“You did,” Artemis laughed, “Now, which is it?”

Phoenix thought about her response for a moment, she never had to tell any about her relationship with Reyes before and wondered how she should do it now, “Both.”

Artemis raised both eyebrows, “Both?”

“Yes, I am absolutely and completely smitten with Reyes Vidal,” Phoenix nodded with a smile on her face, “and he knows it, the cocky bastard.”

Artemis grinned without saying a word, she could tell that her sister was indeed smitten with Reyes from the minute she saw them together. She was happy that Phoenix was able to find something good in the middle of all the bad that was thrown at her.

Phoenix eyed her suspiciously, “No comment?”

The Pathfinder shook her head, “No, I’m happy for you, after everything that happened between you and Harry, you deserve a little good.”

Phoenix thought about her sister’s words, she was right, the way things ended between Phoenix and Harry was less than ideal. Artemis and Apollo are the only Ryders who know about Phoenix’s past with the doctor, both twins on the opposite spectrum of approval; Artemis was happy that Phoenix was happy, while Apollo never approved of his sister bedding an older man.

The shuttle stopped and landed as they reached their nav point. Phoenix sighed as the competitive fire in her eyes ignited. Artemis noticed the change in her sister’s eyes and matched it. She hopped out of her seat and opened the shuttle door, “Ready to get crushed?”

Phoenix erupted in laughter, “Keep that confidence up, because you’re going to need it after I win.”

The two women made their way towards a cave with a view of some of the very few trees that somehow survived in the acidic soil of Kadara. Phoenix pulled a sniper rifle off her back and handed it to Artemis after checking to make sure it was loaded, “Alright, you know the rules, we both use the same rifle and get one shot to try and burst the bottle midair.”

Artemis nodded and checked the scope on the rifle, “Toss it!”

Phoenix threw the bottle as far as she could, and she had a pretty decent arm. Artemis waited until the bottle lined up with her sight and she pulled the trigger. They could hear the bullet make contact with the glass of the bottle as the bottle shattered. Phoenix whistled as she saw the glass shatter, “Not bad.”

Artemis handed the rifle to Phoenix as Phoenix grinned, “But I can do better.”

The Pathfinder rolled her eyes, “That’s what you said last time.”

Phoenix checked the scope and adjusted it, “Don’t believe me, toss two at the same time then.”

Artemis looked at her sister is disbelief before grabbing two bottles and tossing them. Phoenix waited for both the bottles to line up, as soon as she had them in line with each other she pulled the trigger and watched as the two bottles shattered almost simultaneously. Phoenix lowered the rifle and grinned, “Read it and weep, sis, I beat you fair and square.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Artemis commented, “You’ve had practice.”

Phoenix laughed and punched her sister’s arm in the same place she had hit it before, “Thanks, brat.”

Artemis rubbed her arm and winced, “Bully!”

Phoenix stuck her tongue out at Artemis, “Loser.”

The two women erupted in laughter that echoed through the cave. Phoenix picked up the rifle and headed back towards the shuttle, the sun was starting to peek over the horizon, “I should probably get you back to Kadara Port before the whole Pathfinder hunts me down and accuses me of trying to kidnap you.”

“They might still do that once they see the bruise on my arm,” Artemis remarked.

Phoenix erupted in laughter as the two of them made their way back to the shuttle and headed back to Kadara Port.

Phoenix dropped Artemis off at the Tempest, telling her to get some sleep as Phoenix set up a meeting with Sloane. She made her way to Kralla’s Song, deciding to get some sleep herself before having to deal with Sloane in any capacity.

Her bed greeted her warmly as she drifted off to sleep with the silent hope that her dreams would be more pleasant than last time.


	7. A Six Hundred Year Old Grudge

Phoenix woke to a banging on her door. She groaned and swung her legs over the side of the bed, making sure she was wearing enough clothes to answer the door as she shouted towards the source of the noise, “This better fucking be good!”

The door slid open and she was greeted by Umi with a look on the Asari’s face saying more than words could. Umi looked Phoenix up and down and sighed, “Nix, there’s a dead body a few doors down.”

Phoenix ran a hand over her face, “What, and I mean this as sincerely as possible, the fuck.”

Umi shrugged, “I thought you might want to know because fingers are being pointed and names thrown around.”

Phoenix debated with herself over whether or not to see what was so special about this particular dead body. She wanted to ignore it and go back to sleep but something told her Artemis was more than likely to get herself tangled in such a mess and Phoenix would be damned if she let her little sister get caught up in someone’s petty revenge, “Thanks, Umi.”

Umi nodded and left to go back to attending the bar. Phoenix got dressed and threw her hair up in a ponytail, not wanting to deal with it right now.

She dragged herself out of her groggy haze and made her way to where all the commotion could be heard. The conversation of a passing stranger caught her attention as she focused in on their conversation.

Apparently, someone thinks The Collective is responsible. Others insist it is Outcast but many are under the impression that The Collective is out murdering Angara.

Phoenix took in the body, there was nothing significant about it that indicated either group, it made her wonder if maybe there was a third suspect that no one was naming on purpose. She made a mental note to ask Sloane about it and headed towards the Slums to ask Reyes a very similar question.

Reyes looked up when he heard the door open, surprised to see it was Phoenix. She immediately asked him before he had a chance to even think of a cheesy one-liner, “Did you order the murder of an Angara?”

He wrinkled his brow, “No, why?”

“Because there’s a dead Angara in Kadara port and people are whispering that The Collective is responsible and I’m just trying to make sure The Charlatan isn’t out here trying to make a statement,” Phoenix replied.

“That’s more Sloane’s style,” Reyes remarked.

Phoenix nodded and released a breath she didn’t know she was holding, “I know, but something doesn’t feel right, it’s not adding up.”

“Did you question Sloane about it,” Reyes asked.

Phoenix shook her head and plopped on the couch next to him, “No, not yet.”

Reyes chuckled, “Have you even talked to her about Vehn Terev and the Pathfinder?”

“No,” Phoenix sunk further into the couch, “I had a late night and decided to get some beauty sleep before I had to listen to her grating voice.”

Phoenix’s Omni-tool beeped with an incoming call from Artemis. She answered it with a sigh, “What’s up?”

“Tired of me already,” Artemis’ teasing tone rang through the Omni-tool, “Ready to talk to Sloane?”

Phoenix groaned internally, realizing she had forgotten to set up a meeting with Sloane, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Artemis’ laughter floated through the air, “Meet me outside Kralla’s Song in twenty minutes.”

The Omni-tool darkened as the call ended and Phoenix cursed herself for getting distracted, “Fuck me.”

“Later,” Reyes chimed in with a teasing smirk.

Phoenix laughed as she stood up, “Is that a promise?”

Reyes grabbed her hand and pulled her down to meet his lips, “Of course.”

Phoenix turned her head so that his lips made contact with her cheek. Reyes released her hand, “Tease.”

She returned to a standing position and headed towards the door with a wink, “Later.”

Her mind ran through every possible outcome that could happen when she gives Sloane a surprise visit with the Pathfinder, and she hoped the actual outcome would be the one with the least amount of gunfire involved.

Artemis smiled as soon as she saw Phoenix, “I want you to know, that you’re quite the celebrity on my ship right now.”

Phoenix laughed and started to lead the way towards Outcast headquarters, “You’re joking.”

“Nope,” Artemis shook her head, “Vetra and Drack were very happy to hear that you were still kicking around Andromeda.”

“As in Vetra Nyx and Nakmor Drack,” Phoenix replied with excitement lacing her voice. Vetra and Drack were the few people she considered her friends on the Nexus before the rebellion.

The Pathfinder chuckled, “Is there anyone else named Vetra or Drack that I should know about?”

Phoenix grinned as they reached Outcast headquarters and Phoenix addressed the guards at the door, “Boys.”

The guard on the right nodded, “Madam Kadara.”

Phoenix waved a thank you and headed inside with Artemis in tow. Artemis watched as her sister walked past all the guards and Outcast members as if she lived here, “Nothing like having a reputation.”

“I could say the same, _Pathfinder_,” Phoenix remarked.

Artemis rolled her eyes as they walked through the door and entered Sloane’s throne room.

Sloane leaned back in her seat, “You could’ve called before barging in.”

“Actually,” Phoenix informed Sloane, “I was let in, no barging involved.”

Sloane scoffed, “Well, then my apologies, what can I do for Madam Kadara and the Pathfinder?”

Artemis wrinkled her brow slightly, unaware that Sloane already knew who she was. Sloane laughed at Artemis’ reaction, “Don’t look at me like that, Pathfinder, you’ve been making waves all across Andromeda.”

“We need Vehn Terev,” Phoenix grabbed Sloane’s attention.

“I’m sorry to inform you ladies, but Vehn Terev is set for execution and I can’t exactly set him free on a whim,” Sloane said, “I maintain control of Kadara Port by keeping the Angara happy, and executing Vehn accomplishes that.”

“I just need to talk to him, after I find out what he knows he’s all yours,” Artemis informed her.

Phoenix clenched her jaw, she learned early on to not let Sloane see any of her cards and her sister had just shown Sloane half of their hand. Sloane hummed, considering the Pathfinder’s words, “Alright, I’ll let you talk to Vehn,” she smiled, “Consider it a favor.”

Artemis nodded, pleased, “Thank you.”

Phoenix eyed Sloane suspiciously as both she and the Pathfinder followed a guard to where they were holding Vehn. Artemis noticed her sister’s bristled demeanor, “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you where the walls don’t have ears,” Phoenix whispered to Artemis, very well aware that anything she said within the walls of Outcast headquarters Sloane would know.

Artemis glanced at her sister and nodded as they reached Vehn’s holding cell. Phoenix stood off to the side while Artemis spoke to Vehn, there was nothing Vehn knew that she wanted to know that she couldn’t find out from someone who isn’t behind bars. She wondered what sort of trouble her sister was going to get herself tangled in on Kadara now that Sloane is offering favors; most likely with the intention of having the Pathfinder in her back pocket. Phoenix barely heard her sister call her name, so caught up in her thoughts.

“Hello, Phoenix, are you in there,” Artemis waved her hands in front of her sister.

Phoenix took a deep breath, coming back to reality, “What’s up, all good?”

Artemis eyed Phoenix, “Yeah, all good, got everything I needed.”

“Good,” Phoenix watched the guard as she turned to head towards the exit, “I need some air.”

The two of them barely made a sound while leaving, Artemis could tell Phoenix had something on her mind that she wasn’t willing to share within Outcast walls and it made her that much more curious to find out what it was. She waited until they were at least halfway between Kralla’s Song and Outcast headquarters before uttering a word, “Nix, what’s gotten into you?”

Phoenix huffed, “I love you to death and back, Missy, but fucking damn it you’re shit at cards.”

“What are you talking about,” Artemis shouted loud enough for the entire Port to hear.

Phoenix hushed her sister, “You basically stood there and showed Sloane half your fucking hand before the game even started, the only thing you needed to do was stand there and tell her you needed Vehn, she didn’t need to know why.”

Artemis folded her arms in front of her, “It’s not that big of a deal, Nix, all she knows is I had to talk to him!”

“Sloane doesn’t care about that, all she knows is that by letting you talk to Vehn she gave you something you needed,” Phoenix wanted to wring her sister’s neck, “Sloane is going to call in a favor from you before you even get to pick a spot for that cute little outpost of yours, and when she does, promise me you won’t trust her.”

Artemis could see the concern in Phoenix’s eyes that betrayed the frustrated tone in her voice. She could tell Phoenix was trying to protect her, but it didn’t help that it made her feel like a child playing dress-up, “Phoenix, I am a Pathfinder, so I need you to trust me a little.”

Phoenix sighed, seeing the determination in her sister’s eyes, “Missy, I do trust you, it’s Sloane that I don’t trust.”

“What’s your problem with Sloane,” Artemis asked.

“I’ll tell you back at Kralla’s,” Phoenix didn’t like discussing personal matters out in the open; it made her skin itch.

Umi started mixing a drink the minute Phoenix and Artemis walked in, she could tell by the way Phoenix was carrying herself that something ticked her off when she went to talk to Sloane. Phoenix gratefully took the drink from Umi and a seat at the bar, “Missy, take a seat and have a drink, I did promise to tell you about my history with Sloane.”

Artemis sat next to Phoenix at the bar but refused a drink, “If someone always sees me drinking on Kadara, Initiative leadership would never let me anywhere near the planet again.”

Phoenix erupted in laughter, “Fair enough, I wouldn’t want Tan or Addison up my ass about my drinking either,” she paused to compose herself before moving on to tell Artemis about Sloane, “Sloane, like many of us who joined the Initiative, is ex-Alliance, she was there during the Skillian Blitz and got herself booted for punching a superior officer.”

“Okay,” Artemis remarked, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I was the superior officer,” Phoenix deadpanned.

Artemis did her best to hold back her laughter, “You’re kidding, Sloane was the marine that you got in a fight with after the Blitz.”

Phoenix nodded, “It wasn’t really a fight, it was an argument that turned into her giving me a black eye and getting herself discharged.”

“Why does that matter now,” Artemis asked between her laughter, “That was over six hundred years ago and a galaxy away.”

Phoenix rolled her eyes, “Sloane’s always been known to hold a grudge, she’s tried to kill me at least three times that I know of.”

Phoenix’s Omni-tool blinked with an incoming message from Reyes. She opened it and read the message, he had information on her dead body from earlier that day. Artemis leaned towards her sister, “Who’s it from?”

“No one,” Phoenix closed her Omni-tool, “How about a change of scenery?”


	8. Murders and Secrets

Phoenix and Artemis took the lift to the Slums and headed immediately towards Tartarus. Artemis took notice of the way her sister walked through the Slums, a single thought running through her mind. Phoenix wondered what Reyes had to tell her about the Angara, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that the possibility of Roekaar wasn’t out of the question; she hoped it wasn’t Outcast, her tolerance of Sloane was wearing thin with every passing interaction.

“Nix, what’s up,” Artemis asked.

“I’m sure you noticed the dead Angara in the middle of Kadara Port,” Phoenix replied.

Artemis nodded, she had noticed and took the time to ask around, “I saw, I asked around but there was no clear answer to who was responsible.”

Phoenix sighed internally, she knew her sister was going to get herself involved, “Of course you did, then you will be happy to know that Reyes has some information for me regarding said murder.”

The Pathfinder caught her sister’s offhanded comment about getting herself involved but she decided it was better left alone; she isn’t here to fight with her sister.

The music in Tartarus was more muted than in Kralla’s Song, but the sounds of the patrons could rival any bar or club. Phoenix greeted Kian as she made a B-line for Reyes's private room with Artemis in tow. The door to Reyes’ room slid open to reveal Phoenix and Artemis standing on the other side.

“You could at least knock first,” Reyes remarked.

Phoenix smiled smugly, “Happy to see you too, Sweetheart,” she plopped herself next to him on the couch, “Now, what information do you have for me about the dead Angara?”

Artemis stood off to the side, her unfamiliarity with the room in stark difference to her sister’s own comfortability. She took in the room, not there was much to observe with the only main piece of furniture being a couch, her eyes were immediately drawn to a concave part of the wall, “What happened there?”

Reyes snickered and Phoenix rubbed the back of her neck as the two looked in the direction of the concaved wall. Phoenix took on the look of a child that had been caught sneaking cookies before dinner, “That was me.”

Artemis raised her eyebrows, “Oh?”

“Yes,” Phoenix confirmed, “I need to get that fixed, I’m sure Kian doesn’t exactly appreciate a fist-sized welt in his wall.”

“He didn’t,” Reyes confirmed, “He asked me if I was the one who did it, and when I told him it was you, he insisted that it stay.”

Phoenix groaned, “Why?”

“Something about it being from the one and only Madam Kadara,” Reyes teased.

Artemis laughed, “You’re quite the celebrity, Nix.”

“Stuff it, Pathfinder, like you have any room to talk,” Phoenix chuckled, she brought her attention back to Reyes, “Anyway, I distinctly remember coming here because you have information for me about a certain murder.”

Reyes nodded his head, “I did some digging, and if I were a betting man, which I am, the Roekaar are responsible for the murder.”

“Why would they kill an Angara,” Artemis voiced the question everyone was thinking.

Phoenix thought on it, “Artemis, you have a Nomad that comes with that fancy ship of yours, right?”

Artemis nodded, “Yes, why?”

A smile crossed Phoenix’s face that revealed she had a plan in the workings, “We’re going on to investigate the murder site,” she stood from her seat on the couch, “Thank you for the information.” 

“What, that’s it,” Reyes exclaimed, “No goodbye kiss?!”

“I’ll let you know if we find anything,” Phoenix waved and blew Reyes a kiss as she stepped out the door with Artemis in tow.

The two women exited Tartarus and Phoenix told her sister to ready her team, she would meet them in the Badlands, just outside the Slums. Phoenix headed to her room in Kralla’s Song to gather her gear.

She greeted Umi as she entered her room to change out of her street clothes into her armor. Her armor was originally Initiative white and blue and resembled the Pathfinder’s own Initiative armor; now, it is form-fitting and resembles Asari armor more than anything. The colors make her look like an actual Phoenix and are only emphasized when she uses her biotics. She still wears her N7 helmet as a reminder of where she came from and the man who helped her become the best soldier she could be.

Phoenix headed just outside the Slums to find Pathfinder and team waiting for her by a Forward Station. She couldn’t help but grin as she noticed the Turian and Krogan standing next to her sister, “Vetra, Drack, long time no bar fight!”

Drack chuckled and slapped Phoenix’s back as Vetra mirrored his action, nearly toppling Phoenix forward.

“Good to see you made a name for yourself, kid,” Drack stated.

“It would have been nice to know that _you_ are _the_ information dealer in Andromeda,” Vetra remarked.

Artemis opened the door to the Nomad and hopped inside, “Alright guys, reunion’s over, we have a murder to solve!”

The drive across Kadara was as far from quiet as any drive could be. Vetra, Drack, and Phoenix traded stories back and forth and memories of their short time together on the Nexus. Artemis listened with laughter and a twinge of sadness building in the pit of her stomach, the banter made her realize just how much time she missed with her sister. It made her remember life back in the Milky Way, when things were simpler and her family was mostly together, or as together as the Ryder family could ever be.

Artemis parked the Nomad just outside a small empty settlement of houses. The four of them exited the Nomad and Phoenix immediately noticed the lack of any sort of welcome, positive or negative. The four of them fanned out instinctively, making sure that the area is just as devoid of life as it seems. They entered one of the homes, taking notice of the obvious signs of a struggle. Artemis began scanning with her Omni-tool as Phoenix, Drack, and Vetra looked around the apartment.

“His front plate was pried off before being stabbed,” SAM informed the team, everyone winced in response.

“Murdering him just wasn’t enough,” Artemis said sympathetically.

“They wanted to send a message,” Phoenix said what everyone was thinking.

They followed a trail of clues found with the Omni-tool that lead them to an Angaran blade left behind, only confirming Phoenix’s and Reyes’ suspicions. SAM translated the wording engraved on the dagger and revealed it to talk about a home filled with strangers being a prison. Artemis and Phoenix both sighed, Phoenix relayed the information they found to Reyes.

“Reyes, looks like we were right, the Roekaar are getting feisty,” Phoenix spoke into her Omni-tool.

“I’m sending you a nav point to their hideout, meet me there,” Reyes said.

Phoenix hummed in confirmation and closed her Omni-tool, “Alright, Pathfinder, do you want to drive or should I?

Artemis just stood there, a little bewildered about her sister’s resigned disposition that borderlined on neutral disregard, they had just stumbled on a murder scene and Phoenix was treating it like it was another day in the office, “Uh, yeah, I’ll drive.”

Phoenix wrinkled her brow in concern, “Are you sure, Missy, you sound a little off.”

The Pathfinder shook her head, trying to get her thoughts in order, “It’s nothing, I’m good, just a little taken back by your neutral-ness.”

“Neutral-ness,” Phoenix repeated Artemis in slight disbelief, “Missy, I’m nowhere near neutral about this, Roekaar are out here killing innocent people, I’m absolutely livid.”

Phoenix had always had a poker face that could fool the Devil himself and sometimes it made Artemis wondered if Phoenix actually felt any negative emotions at all. Artemis rubbed the back of her neck, “Sorry, Nix, sometimes I forget you have a killer poker face.”

Vetra and Drack started to head back to the Nomad, feeling the slight rise of tension in the air. Phoenix wanted to kick herself for making her little sister feel like she didn’t know her, six hundred years asleep and almost two more filled with hardship can change people, having siblings can be hard enough without making one feel like they don’t know the other. She let out a breath and relaxed, “It’s okay, Andromeda has made me more of a hardass.”

Artemis laughed, the tension around them immediately starting to lighten, “I never thought could be possible.” 

Phoenix grinned at the sound of her sister’s laughter, “Okay, hand the keys over, I’ve been dreaming of driving one of these since I saw it in development back in the Milky Way.”

The Pathfinder was hesitant at first, slowly relinquishing the key to the Nomad to Phoenix, “Just, go easy on her, she’s all we got when it comes to wheels planet-side.”

Phoenix hopped in the Nomad with an air of excitement and Artemis immediately started to regret giving her sister the key. The drive wasn’t as anxiety and fear-inducing as Artemis or the rest of the Pathfinder team thought it would be, Phoenix was a decent driver even if she did test the capacity of the engine and the suspension. She parked the Nomad behind a few large rocks, to give it some coverage from wandering eyes. The four of them climbed out and Phoenix handed the key back to Artemis with a smile, “See, still in one piece.”

Artemis took the key from her with an exasperated look of her face, “Gil is gonna give me hell when he sees the strain you put on the Nomad after that drive.”

Phoenix stuck her tongue out in a childish manner and started to walk towards the Roekaar base. Artemis laughed and shook her head, following her sister’s lead. The four of them entered the base and walked through the door to be greeted by an empty room. Phoenix looked around the room, “Where’s Reyes?”

“There are no signs of Mr. Vidal,” SAM informed them.

Roekaar rushed through the door on the other side of the small as soon as SAM finished speaking. Artemis immediately raised her hands in the air and the rest followed her lead.

“Were we too loud,” Artemis remarked to the three Angara pointing guns at them.

“Farah will deal with you,” One of the Angara told them as they lead them through the door and further into the base. They were led down a set of steps as an Angaran woman, Farah presumably, approached while being flanked by two other armed Angara. Farah’s voice held a note of disdain as she spoke to them, “I don’t need to tell you what happens next.”

“You’re going to kill us, I’ve just got a few questions first,” Artemis said.

“No,” Farah began to lift a blade she had in her hand, “You’ll bleed just like the rest.”

Phoenix looked at the blade and immediately noticed it was the same from the crime scene, “You are out here murdering innocent people.”

“Invaders and sympathizers are not innocent,” Farah exclaimed with pain in her voice, “I will protect my home!”

“We can coexist,” Artemis tried to deescalate the situation.

Farah scoffed, “Like here on Kadara, Sloane lies to my people and uses them!”

“I’m not Sloane,” Artemis said.

“You are all the same,” Farah flipped the blade in her hand, ready to strike them.

A shot forced Farah to drop the blade in her hand as hurried footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. Reyes appeared next to them with a gun in his hands, “Not so fast.”

Phoenix rolled her eyes at his dramatic entrance, “You’re late.”

“I’ve got a good reason,” Reyes told her, “You’ll see in three, two, one..”

On cue, explosives went off next to them and caused the base to become frantic. Farah rushed to the back while yelling out orders to kill them. Artemis rolled to the ground and grabbed a gun while Phoenix, Vetra, and Drax fanned out. They took care of the Roekaar with only a few bruises and no gunshot wounds.

After the fight, they climbed the stairs and exited the base. Phoenix stretched her arms, “At least I can cross strange random murder off my list of concerns, thanks Missy, you were a big help.”

Artemis laughed, “Any time, sis,” she looked towards where the Nomad was parked, “I still have some things I need to take care of out here, I take it you can manage a ride back?”

Phoenix chuckled, knowing that Artemis was referring to Reyes, “You’re already trying to get rid of me, I’m a little offended.”

“Trust me,” Artemis said and waved her hand, “It’s all scouting and pathfinding, boring from A to Z.”

Phoenix caught a slight twitch in her sister’s left eye, and Artemis’ eye only twitched when she was trying to hide something. The fact that Artemis is hiding something from her hurt more than she would have liked to admit, “Be safe out there, Missy.”

Artemis could tell that Phoenix wanted to say more but was holding back, and she was thankful for that. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to hide why she was heading back into the Badlands, but her gut was telling her that Phoenix knowing about the Kett transponder would be a bad idea. She waved goodbye and headed towards the Nomad, Drack and Vetra in tow.

Reyes noticed how Phoenix was beginning to bristle as Artemis walked further and further out of view. He grabbed her hand, “C’mon, you can tell me what’s on your mind on the ride back to Kadara Port.”

She turned her head towards him, meeting his gaze and absentmindedly squeezed his hand. His eyes cut right through her, she never was able to be Madam Kadara or the hardened N7 she projected to the rest of the world with Reyes; her mask never could hold up against those amber eyes. Phoenix smiled softly and nodded, finding comfort in the notion of being able to voice her frustrations.

Reyes set his shuttle on autopilot and focused his attention on Phoenix, waiting for her to speak. Phoenix cracked her neck, trying to relieve some of the tension she was holding, “She’s hiding something from me.”

He continued to look at her without saying anything, content to let her vent. Phoenix looked out the window, feeling her frustrations with her sister starting to pull at her heart, “My baby sister is out there right now, running around the Badlands getting into who knows what kind of trouble and she won’t even tell me why she’s out there,” she let out a deep sigh to help compose herself, “I can’t lose her, I can’t lose any more family, Reyes.”

He heard the crack in her voice as it lowered to be barely above a whisper. His heart started to hurt for her as he saw the strong-willed Phoenix Ryder start to break at the mere notion that she could lose her sister. He leaned forward in his seat and gently pulled her into his arms, she welcomed the comfort and melted into him as naturally as ice melts under the warm Kadaran sun.


	9. Smoke Break

Phoenix barely saw Artemis the next two days; she knew that the Pathfinder was still on Kadara by the information she received from her people as well as the fact of the Tempest remaining docked in Kadara Port. She sent messages to Artemis, but all she was able to get in return was pleasantries and one-word answers. It ate at her and made her want to scream.

“She’s avoiding me,” Phoenix remarked, staring up at the ceiling while she laid in bed.

Reyes groaned next to her, the sound of Phoenix’s voice waking him, “Princess, it’s two in the morning, if the Pathfinder isn’t answering your messages it’s probably because she’s asleep.”

Phoenix chewed her lip, “It’s been two days, Reyes, what if she’s been kidnapped and that’s why she won’t answer me with more than one or two words,” her mind started to run a mile a minute with anything and everything, “What if it’s code and she’s trying to tell me something?!” She threw her covers back to rush and grab her omni-tool, her mind telling her she needed to reread all of Artemis’ replies in case there is a secret code she missed.

Reyes wrapped an arm around her waist as he felt the bed shift and pulled her back into him, “I’m sure if there was a secret code you would have caught it.”

She attempted to get loose from his grasp but that only caused him to hold onto her tighter, “But what if I didn’t, what if my baby sister is hurt or worse and I was too stupid to notice something?”

He nuzzled into the crook of her neck, “The Pathfinder has a whole team of people that would be running around Kadara causing a fuss if she were missing, I’m sure she’s safely asleep on the Tempest as we speak.”

Phoenix sighed, “That’s true, I doubt the Initiative would just let their Human Pathfinder disappear.”

Reyes made an affirmative hum and started to drift back to sleep. Phoenix’s mind continued to run through every single horrifying scenario Artemis could be in, despite the very obvious fact of how tightly the Initiative keeps tabs on the status of their Pathfinder. A favorite scenario of her mind at the moment is to keep going through the many ways Artemis could have crashed the Nomad and ended up dead at the bottom of a cliff. She huffed and made a second attempt to free herself from Reyes’ hold.

“Phoenix,” Reyes groaned as her attempts to free herself woke him again, “What are you doing?”

“I need to go make sure my sister isn’t dead in a ditch somewhere,” her voice laced with an undertone of panic.

He sighed, “And how are you going to do that, just walk up to the Tempest and knock on the door?”

“Yes,” Phoenix exclaimed, slightly offended that he would even question the possibility. Reyes couldn’t keep himself from laughing softly at Phoenix’s slight offense to his question. She smacked his arm, her voice rising in pitch, “Why are you laughing?!”

Reyes stifled his laughter and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder, “You’re acting like a mother hen, it’s cute.”

“You know what’s not cute,” Phoenix remarked, “Finding my sister dead in a ditch.”

“She’s not dead in a ditch,” he reassured her, “If she was, you would have heard about it by now.”

“That’s true,” she did her best to quiet the irrational thoughts running through her head, “But what if something did happen…”

“Based on everything I’ve heard about her, your sister sounds like a very capable woman that you can check on in the morning without waking up the entire Port by banging on the door of the Tempest,” he told her.

Phoenix sighed, he was right, if anything happened to Artemis she would have heard about it by now. Her body still tense with anxiety and frustration at the lack of communication she had with Artemis, sleep nowhere within her grasp. Time felt like it was at a standstill and it was making her want to tear her hair out at the roots. She moved toward the edge of the bed, Reyes grunted and snuggled closer to her involuntarily. Phoenix huffed and nudged him, “Reyes, move, I need to get some air.”

Reyes barely opened his eyes, he had just fallen back asleep only to be woken up again, “Kadara air or Tempest air?”

Phoenix rolled her eyes, “Kadara air, I just need to clear my head before it explodes.”

He hummed in response and rolled over to his other side, his arm releasing its hold on her. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and placed her feet on the cold floor of Reyes small Kadaran apartment. The climate of Kadara always reminded her of the Sahara Desert back on Earth; hotter than the surface of a star during the day and as cold as Veold after the sun sets. She grabbed one of Reyes’ shirts that he had thrown on the floor and threw it on, his shirts were warmer than hers and she liked that they smelled like him. On her way towards the door she stopped by her jacket and grabbed a cigarette and match from the pocket, they were nothing like the ones back in the Milky Way but they hit the spot well enough so Phoenix tried not to ask too many questions about what exactly she was smoking; a nasty habit that she developed when she joined the Alliance and brought it across dark space. A habit that she just can’t quite kick as her reality shifted drastically around her.

Phoenix stepped out into the cold Kadara night air and lit her cigarette, the air refreshing and the act of lighting a match and bringing it close to her face slightly distracting. It helped clear her mind and focus her thoughts. She needed to get a hold of Artemis before the Pathfinder left the planet and the feeling that she would have to devise some sort of convoluted plan to be able to talk to her sister at this rate. 

Time passed and she neglected to keep track of how long she had been standing out there. She had finished her cigarette at least twenty minutes ago and the ache to smoke another came over her but she decided it would be better if she didn’t start chain-smoking this early in the morning. Her arms raised above her head as she stretched and winced slightly from the ache in her back and the soreness the bullet wound left her with as it had just closed and she was able to get the stitches taken out. A yawn escaped her lips and Phoenix wondered if her mind would let her sleep now that she fed her addiction monster and calmed down.

The bed creaked as she slid back in next to Reyes, his warmth both welcoming and comforting. He hummed and instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her in closer and nuzzling into the crook of her neck. She smiled and let out a deep breath as she sank into the comfort of the bed and Reyes; sleep finally welcoming her.


	10. The Pain of "Should Be"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas :D

Phoenix woke with a groan and stretched as she sat up, yawning and reaching for her omni-tool. She scrolled through messages, hoping that Artemis would be among the list of people in her feed. Messages from information about Kett activity on Kadara to where the next shipment of Outcast weapons is headed. She raised her eyebrows as a particular message about a certain Pathfinder helping Sloane clean out a cave full of Kett yesterday. A chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head, “If my sister thinks she’s being funny, then I’m about to be hilarious.”

Reyes stepped into the bedroom, the fresh smell of his shower wafting into the room, “Oh, did you finally hear from her?”

Phoenix looked up from her omni-tool, “No, but I did get an interesting piece of information about the Pathfinder helping Sloane clean out some Kett.”

He could tell that hearing about Artemis helping Sloane but refusing to answer any of her messages or calls made her want to punch a hole in the wall. Water dripped from his still wet hair onto Phoenix as Reyes leaned over her and placed a kiss on the top of her head, “Well, whatever you do, just don’t go punching any walls in my apartment.”

Phoenix let out a breath, trying to release the growing tension in her body, “I’m worried about her, Reyes.” Sloane is not someone to make deals with and do favors for, she likes to hold grudges and Phoenix has the scars to prove it.

Reyes sat on the bed and pulled her close to him, “I know, Princess.”

“She’s got her sights set on going head to head with every danger in the galaxy.”

“Quite the adrenaline junky, your sister.”

“She’s going to get herself killed at this rate and she’s ignoring me to go hunt Kett with Sloane.”

“Sounds like you need to talk to her.”

Phoenix rolled her eyes and angled her head to look up at him, “Is that all you’ve got, she’s an adrenaline junky and I need to go talk to her?”

Reyes chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, “What else would you like me to say?”

She hit his chest playfully, “Don’t get smart,” her legs swung over the edge of the bed and her feet met the floor, “I need to go see her, I can’t just sit around and wait for her to message me back while she’s out in the Badlands getting into trouble.”

Phoenix pulled the shirt she was wearing and threw it at Reyes as she entered the bathroom to shower, “And put a shirt on, you’re getting water everywhere!”

She debated messaging Artemis or Vetra or even Drax that she was on her way to see what has been keeping her sister so busy but decided that the element of surprise is her best asset right now. Phoenix walked up to Cora, who is still maintaining her post as ‘Babysitter of one of _the_ Most Expensive Ships in the Galaxy’, “Harper, is the Pathfinder in, I need to speak with her and it’s urgent.”

Cora folded her arms in front of her chest, putting her guard up, “No, she isn’t.”

Phoenix matched Cora’s stance, she never did like the Asari wanna-be, “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“No, I’m the Pathfinder’s second, not her keeper,” Cora replied, “Besides, I thought you knew everything, _Madam Kadara_.”

The way Cora said her reputational title made Phoenix want to deck the biotic right there and then. She balled her hands into fists and did her best not to give in to the urge, “What’s your problem, Harper?”

“You, you’re my problem, _Ryder_,” Cora spat with disdain in her voice, “Your father was a great man, and here you are, slumming it with criminals on a planet full of exiles.”

“What’s your point,” Phoenix asked, her jaw clenched.

“My _point_, is that you are wasting your potential, and I just have to ask,” Cora scoffed, “What do you think your father would say if he were here?”

Phoenix was nearly blinded as everything around her turned red and anger took over the rational part of her brain, “How dare you act like you know anything about my father just because you idolized him,” she took a step towards Cora, “And, for the record, if my father was here, my little sister wouldn’t be the one with the weight of humanity on her shoulders.”

Cora stood frozen in place, feeling like she had poked a sleeping dragon thinking it was a lizard. The biotic forgot for a moment that Phoenix also lost someone when Alec died, Cora was so wrapped up in her own frustrations and anger that she took it out on someone that didn’t deserve it. She stumbled over her words, “I…apologize, your father’s death hit me hard and sometimes I forget I wasn’t the only person who lost someone,” Cora tried to find the words to express what she should had said from the beginning, “You should be on the Tempest, not exiled on Kadara.”

Phoenix heard the slow change in Cora’s tone, and stepped back so that she was at a less intimidating distance, “Alot of things should have happened, but we all have to live with the choices we’ve made.” She moved past Cora and took the lift to the Slums, leaving behind a heavy air of tension mixed in with the silence.

The lift to the Slums felt longer than usual, Phoenix’s mind replaying her conversation with Cora and making her angrier at her father with every passing moment. Cora had a point; Phoenix _should_ be on the Tempest. Her father _should _be here as the Human Pathfinder. Artemis and Apollo _should _both be happy and discovering all the amazing things a brand-new galaxy has to offer. It was her father’s fault they were even here, that they agreed to come six hundred years across dark space, and it was her father who convinced her to join the Initiative as Nexus personnel. _Save us front row seats_, he said, _See you on the other side, soldier_. Those were his last words to her and the memory of them made her angry, sad, and everything in between.

Phoenix stepped off the lift and headed towards the warden as she opened her omni-tool and asked a few of her contacts when they had last seen the Pathfinder. The warden greeted Phoenix with a grunt, “How can I help the Madam of Kadara?”

“When was the last time you saw the Pathfinder,” Phoenix asked.

The warden thought for a moment, “About an hour or so ago, don’t know where she was headed, but she looked about as run-down as the Slums themselves.”

Phoenix nodded and transferred the warden some credits, “Thanks.”

The warden smiled, happy with the payment, “Always a pleasure.”

Her omni-tool blinked as messages started to come in from her contacts. The Pathfinder was headed towards a Remnant vault that had just sprung from the ground overnight, and Phoenix bet if she hurried she could catch Artemis before the Pathfinder entered the vault. There was a sense of fear and dread that took home in the pit of her stomach, the idea of losing someone else to Remnant technology propelled Phoenix as she rushed to her shuttle and towards the location of the vault. The stories of how her father died and what happened when vaults were activated ran through her head. She needed to find Artemis.


	11. Don't Walk Into Fire Without Me

If the skies of Kadara had speed limits then Phoenix would be breaking them as she raced to reach the vault. Within an hour Phoenix had the vault within her sight and she could also see the Pathfinder and team exit the Nomad. She landed her shuttle, with the least amount of grace she has ever shown in her life, next to the entrance and practically blew the doors open exiting the vehicle.

Artemis, Drack, and Vetra stopped mid-step, more than a little surprised to see Phoenix tumble out of the shuttle that had just landed only a few feet from them. Artemis approached her sister, “What are you doing here?”

“If you think, for one minute, that you can ignore me for days, and then not expect me to show up when you decided to dive headfirst into danger, then you’re dead wrong,” Phoenix exclaimed.

The Pathfinder rolled her eyes, “You say that like I haven’t already been activating vaults across Andromeda, I know what I’m doing,” she placed her hands on her hips, “And I wasn’t ignoring you, I’ve just been busy being the Pathfinder, it’s a full-time job.”

Phoenix pretended to dial a phone, “Sorry, I’m gonna have to call bullshit!”

“Nix,” Artemis exclaimed.

“Artemis Sarah Ryder, if you’re gonna lie to me you could do a little better than that,” Phoenix stopped her sister before Artemis could say more, “I know you were helping Sloane clean out some Kett but you couldn’t be bothered to shoot me a message telling me you were still alive and not dead in a ditch somewhere.”

Artemis could hear the worry in her sister’s tone, Phoenix had been losing her mind over concern for her sister and it made Artemis feel guilty, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you, but I need to reset this vault first and then I can tell you the reason I’ve been so flaky.”

“Fine,” Phoenix knew that Artemis needed to reset the vault to help the planet, “But I’m coming with you.”

That wasn’t the response the Pathfinder was planning on hearing from her sister. She looked from Phoenix to the vault and then back, “That works, hell, I could use someone like you on my team anyway,” Artemis nudged Phoenix playfully as they walked towards the vault entrance.

Phoenix rolled her eyes playfully, trying to hide how tense she was. The Pathfinder knew her sister, despite all the time they’ve spent apart, and she could see that Phoenix walking into this vault with her was more than just a tantrum being thrown because someone was ignored; it was Phoenix’s way of making sure that Artemis is still breathing at the end of the day.

The vault was nothing like the rumors and stories Phoenix had been told. It was soo much better.

And worse.

Huge Remnant Phoenix had never seen before guarded entrances and doorways. It put a strain both on her biotics and her gun; she hadn’t been in a fight like this since the Milky Way and she was a little rusty. Her biotics could use the practice, and she was grateful for that, but her gun was getting up there in age and she didn’t exactly plan on fighting a Remnant Destroyer with her pistol.

When Artemis finally got to the control console and started the reset, Phoenix knew what it truly meant to stare death in the eyes and run the other way. There was a rush of adrenaline that ran through her veins that she hadn’t felt in a long time; a rush she missed. But it also came with the reality that the slightest wrong step and death is the only there to catch you.

The four of them raced through the vault, trying not to trip over their own feet in the process as the purple haze quickly started to catch up to them. They came to a platform and Artemis activated the console that brought up pillars for them to jump across, “Hustle guys!”

Vetra and Drack jumped from pillar to pillar, making it to the other side and that much closer to the exit. Artemis and Phoenix were close behind them, racing to the platform in front of them. Phoenix heard Artemis yell as the Pathfinder lost her footing and missed a pillar.

“Artemis,” Phoenix screamed as she used her biotics to catch her sister and carry her to the platform. Her biotics were strained and Artemis was dropped unceremoniously on the flat surface as Phoenix raced to reach the other side.

They safely reached the first control console they came across and Artemis quickly activated it, successfully resetting the vault and giving Kadara a real chance to prosper.

Phoenix shook her head, trying to catch her breath, “That’s some crazy ass shit.”

Artemis slapped a hand on her sister’s back, “Trust me, it never gets any better.”

“Ow,” Phoenix hissed, “I’m sore from diving behind metal pillars and getting shot at, so go a little easy on me.”

The Pathfinder laughed with a childish grin on her face. Phoenix smiled, Artemis’ grin contagious, she always was able to make tough situations a little lighter with a smile and a laugh. Artemis softened her smile and brought her sister into a tight hug, “Thank you, for saving my ass in there.”

Phoenix returned the hug and rested her head on Artemis’ shoulder, “I’ll always be there to save your ass.”

The two of them parted and Phoenix clapped a hand on the Pathfinder’s shoulder, “So, now that the vault is reset, feel free to tell me exactly why you’ve been ignoring me for the past few days.”

The Pathfinder shifted nervously, “Right, about that…,” she hesitated and searched for the best way to tell her sister that Nexus leadership wasn’t very fond of the idea of the Pathfinder running around with Madam Kadara, “Can we have this conversation on the Tempest, it’ll be easier to explain everything there.”

Phoenix could tell Artemis was apprehensive to explain her reasons and it made her wonder if those reasons were the Pathfinder’s or if they were the Initiative’s, “Alright, Pathfinder, I’ll see you on the Tempest.”

Artemis was right, having this conversation on the Tempest was easier than having it out in the Badlands or even in Kralla’s Song. Phoenix was about to blow a fuse as Artemis fed her the same shit Nexus leadership has been feeding people since the revolt: exiles equals bad. That was it. Exiles are bad and the boogeymen of Andromeda. Phoenix wanted to give every member of the Nexus leadership a hole in their head. She was fuming, “So, you’re telling me that you ignored me _avoided me_, for two days because Tann and Addison told you that Exiles aren’t to be trusted and that I would compromise your mission as Pathfinder?!”

“Listen,” Artemis could feel the anger radiating off her sister, “They have a point…”

Phoenix nearly lost it when she heard the words that left Artemis’ lips, “And what point would that be exactly?!”

The Pathfinder held her ground, “If I asked you to tell me the identity of every crime boss in Andromeda, would you?”

“What kind of question-”

“Would you,” Artemis pushed for an answer.

“Missy, I can’t just compromise my entire reputation because the Nexus wants to play judge, jury, and executioner of Andromeda,” Phoenix tried to get the Pathfinder to understand the position such a request would put her in, “I’m in the business of trading and keeping information, giving the names of every crime boss in Andromeda would destroy everything I’ve built.”

Artemis steeled herself, already knowing the answer to her next question, “Then what if it was just one name?”

Phoenix wrinkled her brow, “What name?”

“The Charlatan,” Artemis stated.

“No one knows the name of The Charlatan,” Phoenix answered, “Not even me.”

Artemis knew she was lying, “You’re telling me that _the_ information dealer in Andromeda has no idea who The Charlatan is, I don’t buy it.”

“Good thing it’s not for sale,” Phoenix knew that Artemis already knew the answer before she even asked the question.

The Pathfinder stared right through her sister, “Phoenix Ryder, Madam Kadara, your name is associated with very powerful and very dangerous people.”

“How is that not an asset for the Initiative,” Phoenix tried to plead her case without sounding as desperate as she felt.

Artemis let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, she could see the desperation in Phoenix’s eyes and found it eerily familiar, “Trust me, I tried to plead your case to Tann and anyone else who would listen but they’re set in their belief that having a connection with you would endanger the entire Initiative.”

Phoenix thought for a moment, “Can you call them from this ship?”

Artemis furrowed her brow, “What…yes…”

“Good,” Phoenix smirked, “Call Kandros.”


	12. Kadara Will Burn

Phoenix and Artemis waited as SAM connected them with Kandros through the Tempest’s comm system. 

“Why Kandros,” Artemis wondered.

Phoenix smirked, “It pays to have connections, Pathfinder.”

Soon, a hologram of Kandros appeared, “Pathfinder, what can I do for you?”

“Tiran Kandros,” Phoenix grinned at the hologram, “Long time no see!”

Kandros chuckled, surprised by Phoenix, “Phoenix Ryder, I’ll be damned, I’ve heard some things about you since the revolt.”

“I’m sure,” Phoenix thought about her next words, “I’m calling because I need to appeal to Nexus leadership.”

Kandros considered her words, “Calling from the Pathfinder’s ship for something like this is a hell of a power move, Tann’s not going to like it.”

“What does Tann like,” she rolled her eyes, “I’m not calling as an Exile or as an information dealer, I’m calling as someone who finally has their family back and doesn’t want to lose them again,” Phoenix was pleading with him, “Please, as a friend, just get them all in the same room.”

Kandros sighed, sympathizing with Phoenix, “Okay, give me a few minutes, I’ll call you from Tan’s office.”

The call ended and Artemis raised her eyebrows, “I didn’t know you and Kandros were friends.”

Phoenix chuckled, “Yeah, we met back in the Milky Way on the Citadel, gotten each other out of more than one messy situation,” she looked towards the wall in front of her but her mind was lost in memory, “I’ve got more scars from shit Kandros has gotten me dragged into then I do from my own screw-ups, and I’m sure he could just about say the same.”

“How come the two of you haven’t stayed in touch,” Artemis wondered.

Phoenix scoffed, “Can you imagine the shitstorm that would create for him, ‘head of Nexus security shares correspondence and keeps close ties with Madam Kadara’.”

The Pathfinder hummed, “That’s true.”

The Tempest’s comm blinked, alerting Artemis and Phoenix that there was an incoming call from Kandros. Phoenix answered it and smiled as a hologram of the Nexus leadership appeared, “Tann, Addison, Kesh, it’s been too long!”

“Not long enough,” Addison remarked. She never liked Phoenix and after the revolt, she liked the eldest Ryder even less.

“Phoenix Ryder,” Tann addressed her and took control of the conversation, “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Phoenix considered her words and how they would impact all parties involved before responding, “I have a…compromise of sorts that would guarantee peace between the Exiles and Initiative colonies,” both Kandros and Artemis wondered where Phoenix was headed, “The Initiative needs viable planets to place colonies on and Exiles need the increase in trade if we are going to thrive.”

Addison folded her arms in front of her, “We don’t need colonies full of innocent people built next to the first criminals in Andromeda.”

Phoenix disregarded Addison, she could see the wheels turning in Kesh’s head, “Superintendent Kesh, thoughts?”

“I can see the benefits of building a colony on Kadara,” Kesh said, “Building a colony on a planet where we already know there are resources we need does make it easier to obtain them, plus we can help bring together families that were torn apart after the revolt.”

Tann considered both Addison and Kesh’s statements, “Those are some good points, I can also see the benefits of building a colony on Kadara, but how can you guarantee the safety of our colonists on such a lawless planet, we don’t have the necessary military power to fight off Kett and exiles.”

“That, Director Tann, is where I come in,” Phoenix’s smile widened, “My reputation as Madam Kadara carries, as I’m sure you have noticed, quite a bit of weight with the Exiles.”

Kandros could see the angle Phoenix was trying to play, “And what kind of weight is that?”

“The kind that kills,” Phoenix stated, “And the kind that can get you almost anything you need across Andromeda.” She knows the temptation that comes with having friends in high (and low) places, and she hoped that the temptation would be enough to keep her family together.

“And what of Sloane Kelly,” Tann added, “Surely, she will have some objections to an Initiative colony on Kadara.”

Phoenix considered his words, he had a point (for once), Sloane would rather be shot in the foot and then the head before allowing the Initiative to infringe on “her” planet.

“Leave Sloane to me,” she announced, “I’ll make sure she has no objections to the Initiative having a colony on Kadara.”

Tann thought about his words before speaking, they needed more colonies but was Kadara worth the risk. He decided it was, “Very well, if you can guarantee the safety of our colonists and the cooperation of Sloane Kelly, we will build a colony on Kadara.”

Phoenix smiled, “Thank you, Director, I will notify you as soon as the conditions are met.”

The call ended and Phoenix let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Artemis observed her sister, “That’s a pretty tall order, how the hell you even managed to let them hear you out is beyond me but then tell them you’re going to somehow get Sloane to agree to an outpost on Kadara really is something else.”

Phoenix rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck, “I always did enjoy a challenge, keeps me on my toes.”

Artemis laughed at her sister’s ridiculous admission, “If you say so, let me know if you need help with Sloane, it’s Initiative business now.”

“No,” Phoenix’s face steeled, “Missy, I’m telling you this now, I don’t want you anywhere near Sloane while all of this is going down and if Sloane asks you for help, don’t.”

The Pathfinder furrowed her brow at her sister’s words, the tone in Phoenix’s voice reminded Artemis of their father, “Nix, where is this coming from, how exactly are you going to convince Sloane to cooperate with the Initiative.”

Phoenix searched her sister’s eyes, wondering if she should tell her how exactly she was going to deal with Sloane. She decided that keeping Artemis’ hands clean of any unnecessary mess was key to be a proper Pathfinder and protecting her, “Just, trust me, stay away from Sloane Kelly for a little while.”

Artemis could see the concern in her sister’s face and hear the pleading in Phoenix’s voice, “Alright, I’ll stay away from Sloane.”

Phoenix left the Tempest and made a B-line for Tartarus; if there is one person she can trust to help her, it’s Reyes.

The doors to Reyes room in Tartarus slid open to reveal the smuggler himself. Phoenix plopped down next to him on the couch, the exhaustion from helping the Pathfinder restart a vault and negotiating with Nexus leadership finally catching up to her. She leaned against him and let out a breath, her body begged for her to relax and take a moment to heal but there would be time for that after her family was back together, “Are you still having trouble with Zia?”

He could tell that she was exhausted and it pained him to see her continue to push herself; Phoenix has a habit of pushing herself to the point just before she breaks. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, his reckless princess, “Yes, why?”

“I need to ask a favor,” she replied, “Ask Artemis to help with Zia.”

Reyes furrowed his brow, “Why?”

Phoenix hummed, fighting the urge to fall asleep in Reyes’ arms, “I have to deal with Sloane and I can’t have Artemis caught in the middle.”

He could tell she was fighting the urge to sleep, “I’ll request the Pathfinder’s help only if you get some sleep.”

Phoenix wrinkled her brow, “What?”

Reyes chuckled and laid down on the couch, bringing Phoenix with him, “I’m not sure what kind of mess you’ve gotten yourself in, but even I can see you need to get some rest.”

She grumbled and pushed herself to sit up, “I can’t, not yet.”

Concern flooded his eyes as he followed her as she sat up. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, “Princess, you need to sleep, you look like you’ve been through hell and back, I’m sure whatever you’re trying to accomplish can wait.”

“And what if it can’t,” Phoenix met his eyes as hers filled with anxiety, “I’m trying to keep my family together in a galaxy that is hell-bent on tearing us apart.” She fought tears that threatened to overflow, her jaw clenching as she took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from breaking, “I’m losing them, Reyes, I just got them back and I’m already losing them,” Phoenix held her head in her hands as her body started to shake. Her breath moved in and out between hiccups as tears streamed onto her hands and down her face.

Reyes heart ached to see Phoenix in such a state, he reached out to her, “Is this about Artemis not answering you?”

Phoenix scoffed, “It’s about everything,” she raised her head to meet her eyes with his, “The Initiative, the Nexus leadership, my father’s death, this whole damn galaxy, everything!”

Here she was, the infamous Madam Kadara, fire in her eyes and fury in her voice. Reyes wanted to help her, to ease the pain and anger in her heart, “Phoenix…”

She wanted to scream, to let the whole world know she was hurting, but it was a luxury she couldn’t afford, “If coming to a new galaxy meant having to jump through hoops to see my own family then I would have stayed in the Milky Way.” Phoenix stood abruptly, trying to gain control over her emotions once more, “I need to get Sloane to cooperate with me and Artemis needs to stay out of it.”

Reyes sighed, when Phoenix felt like she was losing control it was hard to get her to calm down and let her mind rest, “Alright, I’ll ask the Pathfinder to help with Zia, but what if Sloane doesn’t cooperate?”

Phoenix looked at him with unmatched conviction, “Either Sloane cooperates, or Kadara burns.”


	13. Black and Blue

“Hold on,” Reyes started to feel a sense of panic set in, “You can’t be serious?”

Phoenix could see the panic in Reyes' eyes, “Reyes, I need to have my family together and if that means I have to burn Kadara to the ground, then so be it.”

Reyes mind raced a mile a minute, Kadara is his home, his chance to be somebody, “What if you didn’t have to go through Sloane?”

“What?” Phoenix stopped. Everything stopped.

Reyes took a deep breath, almost cursing the words that came out of his mouth, “Listen, things are changing…”

“What, Reyes,” Phoenix didn’t have time to play his games, “Spit it out!”

He ran a hand through his hair, he never planned on telling her his plans as the Charlatan. Their roles as the Charlatan and Madam Kadara are separate from their relationship with each other and he didn’t want to change that but as he said, things are changing, “I wasn’t going to tell you, but you would find out on your own anyway so really there’s no harm in telling you now I suppose.”

She clenched her jaw hard enough to nearly break her own teeth, “Reyes!”

“I’m going to challenge Sloane,” Reyes quickly spit out his words, “The Collective is going to take Kadara Port tomorrow.”

Phoenix nearly blew a hole through the wall, “How could you not tell me that?!” She started to pace, “What the fuck, Reyes, this changes everything!”

Reyes did his best to ease Phoenix’s anger, “It’s Collective business, Phoenix, we’ve always kept business separate from our personal lives and I didn’t want that to change,” he caught her hand in his as she passed him, “I’m sorry.”

Phoenix could see the regret in his eyes, whether it was from telling her or not telling her sooner, she couldn’t say. She wanted to rip her hand from his grip and tell him exactly where he could shove his apology, but she resisted the urge because he was right, they agreed to keep their two lives separate. A groan escaped her lips as she fought with herself, “I know, out there we’re Madam Kadara and the Charlatan, behind closed doors, we’re Phoenix Ryder and Reyes Vidal,” instinctually she tightened her hand around his, “That needs to change, after the Collective takes Kadara, we come clean with each other, no more secrets.”

Reyes' gut response was to say no, deny the very thought, a response he needed to reprogram. Absentmindedly, he rubbed circles on the back on her hand with his thumb as the implications of her words set in, “Okay.”

Phoenix sighed and rolled her shoulders to try releasing some of the tension she was holding, “At least I don’t need to talk to Sloane now,” she cracked her neck, “I want all of the details of your plan sent to my datapad by morning.” She swayed slightly as she started to relax, both exhaustion and stress catching up to her, “I think I need to take a seat.”

Reyes quickly caught her as she collapsed, a soft chuckled escaped his lips. She smiled up at him, “Good thing you were here to catch me.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled down at her in return, “I’ll always be here to catch you.”

Reyes cradled her in his arms as he rose and carried her from Tartarus to Kralla’s Song. Any looks he did receive quickly disappeared once they realized who it was, the relationship between the two was no secret.

Umi chuckled when she saw them enter Kralla’s, wondering what kind of trouble Phoenix had gotten herself into this time.

Phoenix barely registered the motion of being moved and carried from Tartarus to Kralla’s Song as she drifted in and out of consciousness. The last thing she remembers is the feeling of her bed as sleep finally claimed her.

Reyes gently laid her on her bed and started to remove her jacket and shoes, hoping she had no serious injuries. The bruises that started to reveal themselves under her jacket made Reyes catch his breath and wonder, _why the fuck didn’t she wear her armor_. Placing both her jacket and her boots off to the side, he carefully took her handgun that was still strapped in its holster on her thigh and immediately noticed that it has been through hell and back. He turned it over in his hands, the handgun had certainly seen better days and will probably not see many more if Phoenix continued to use it. Trashing the handgun was out of the question, Phoenix was far too attached to it, he placed it beside her jacket and resolved to simply get her a new handgun.

He walked over to a nearby cabinet and grabbed some medi-gel, applying to Phoenix’s visible bruises. The thought of waking her to make sure there weren’t more serious injuries underneath the rest of her clothing crossed his mind but quickly faded, she was sound asleep and not moving any time soon, it could wait. He finished applying the medi-gel and let out a breath as he moved to take a seat on a nearby chair and forward Phoenix everything about his plans to take Kadara Port.

Hours passed before Phoenix stirred. She groaned as her eyes opened, “What the fuck…”

Reyes chuckled from his seat, “Good morning to you too.”

She slowly sat up, her face wrinkling as she winced, “Did I pass out?”

He nodded his head and moved to help her sit up, “You’ve been out for hours.”

“And you’ve been here the whole time,” she exclaimed.

He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She grimaced as she tried to stretch but quickly realized that wasn’t going to get her very far, “I’m still mad you, you know.”

“I know,” he kissed the top of her head, “But let’s make sure you don’t have any other injuries other than a few bruises before you yell at me again.” Phoenix nodded her head, wanting to chuckle but not wanting to tempt it and hoping that didn’t mean she has any broken ribs.

Carefully, and with the help of Reyes, she removed her top and bottoms to reveal bruises on top of bruises. The sight was ugly, to say the least, and Phoenix cursed herself for not wearing her armor before she ran after her sister. Reyes cursed under his breath, “We should take you to Dr. Nakamoto.”

Phoenix huffed, “He’s just going to reprimand me for not wearing any armor.”

“And he should,” Reyes stated, “What were you thinking, running off to help your sister reset a vault without any armor?!”

She fixed him with a glare that told him to watch his tone, “Don’t yell at me, I obviously I wasn’t thinking I was going to be running headfirst into Remnant!”

He sighed, trying to calm his own emotions, “I’m sorry, it’s just…you could’ve died in there.”

“Please,” she rolled her eyes in her own strange attempt to make light of such a reality, “I’m an ace N7 biotic who faced down a charging Krogan with only a pistol, a few rogue bots aren’t going to kill me.”

“Phoenix,” Reyes' voice was laced with concern, “You’re not invincible.” 

She could see the concern and fear in his eyes, gently placing a comforting hand on his face, “I know, but sometimes believing that I am makes things a little less scary.”

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he chuckled.


	14. High Noon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a couple of sentences in other languages (one in spanish and one in portuguese; surprise the Ryder fam in portuguese btw) these are the translations (neither of these are my native language so please be kind if anything is wrong)   
1\. "Eres mi corazón y mi alma" - "You are my heart and soul"  
2\. "As capturas de queijo camundongos, não em mulheres" - "Cheese catches mice, not women"

Begrudgingly, and at the insistence of Reyes, Phoenix went down to the Slums to have herself checked out by Dr. Nakamoto. The doctor chuckled, “You’re lucky you didn’t break anything, Phoenix.”

Phoenix laughed with him, “Benefits of being a biotic.”

The doctor nodded, “That definitely helped,” he frowned slightly, “But I would suggest wearing your armor the next time you want to go head to head with Remnant technology.”

She hummed and threw Reyes a pointed look, “Yeah, that’s what I keep hearing.”

“And you’ll keep hearing it,” Reyes remarked.

Dr. Nakamoto looked from Phoenix to Reyes and back to Phoenix, “He’s right.”

Phoenix groaned, “I wish you hadn’t said that, there’ll be no living with him now.”

The doctor smiled and finished patching up Phoenix, “Alright, Phoenix, you’re all set,” he took of the gloves he was wearing and threw them in the waste bin, “Some pretty nasty bruises that are going to take a while to heal up and a few stitches here and there, but all in all, you’re lucky to have made it out in one piece.”

Phoenix slid off the medical bed, “Thanks, Doc, I’ve already transferred the credits and it should be more than enough to cover my checkup, plus keeping my little visit here a secret.”

Dr. Nakamoto nodded, “Of course, patient confidentiality and all that.”

She rolled her eyes and chuckled, knowing that patient confidentiality didn’t mean anything in Andromeda, “See ya around Doc!”

Reyes followed her out, making sure that she was the only one to hear him, “I sent you everything about our plans for Sloane.”

She nodded slightly, her voice cold, “We’ll talk about it back at Kralla’s.”

He hummed; it was strange to be talking business with her without a hint of humor, no irony. Their walk back to Kralla’s was eerily quiet, almost like they didn’t know what to say to each other. He reached for her hand, “Phoenix…”

Phoenix hesitated mid-step as she felt his hand grasp hers, “Reyes, what are you doing?”

“Trying to hold your hand,” he replied.

She laughed at the ridiculousness of his words, “I’m still mad at you,” her hand tightened around his, “But I guess we can hold hands.” It wasn’t a lie, she was definitely still angry with him, but it was hard for her to stay mad at him when he made her heart flutter at the smallest things.

Reyes smirked and switched off his translator, “Eres mi corazón y mi alma.”

“Did you turn your translator off, ya big cheese ball,” Phoenix smiled and turned off her own translator, two could play at this game, “As capturas de queijo camundongos, não em mulheres.”

He burst into laughter and switched his translator back on and she did the same with a smirk on her face. Phoenix bumped him with her hip as they entered Kralla’s, “We’ve got business to take care of.”

She flopped onto her bed with a datapad in hand, “Alright, let’s see what kind of tomfoolery we got going on here.”

Reyes feigned injury as he sat in a chair opposite her bed, “I planned that tomfoolery myself from beginning to end.” 

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Phoenix teased. She scrolled through the information Reyes sent her, scoffing when she caught sight of the name of the plan, “Really, Reyes, High Noon?”

“What’s wrong with High Noon,” he exclaimed, “It adds flair!”

Phoenix shook her head with a smile on her face, “Always so dramatic.” She continued to scroll through her datapad and read the details, “There’s just one thing.”

Reyes raised an eyebrow, “What?”

She locked eyes with him, “I’m going to be the sniper.”

“Why,” he inquired, “What’s wrong with having one of my guys do it?”

A sigh escaped her lips, “Because, I want to make sure it’s done right,” her voice was as cold as steel, “There’s no room for error, Reyes, we only have one shot.”

He looked at her through the eyes of the Charlatan, through the eyes of a businessman, “Okay, you’re the sniper.”

Phoenix smiled like a Cheshire cat and dropped her datapad, “We got work to do.”

They set about putting the plan in motion, giving orders, dotting all their I’s and crossing all their T’s. The notion of Artemis ending up caught in the middle weighed on Phoenix’s mind, the Pathfinder might have said that she would stay away from Sloane but Artemis always was a hero. Phoenix stared into her drink as the two of them sat at the bar in Kralla’s, “I want you to still ask for Artemis’ help with Zia.”

“Why,” Reyes questioned.

“Because,” Phoenix replied, “Artemis will notice all of the commotion if we don’t keep her busy.”

He nodded and finished his own drink, “Alright, I’ll ask her to meet me in Tartarus and we’ll go from there, but there’s still a chance that she might say no.”

Phoenix smiled to herself and swirled her drink in its glass, “I doubt it, Artemis loves to play the hero.”

Reyes left Kralla’s Song and headed for Tartarus, leaving Phoenix alone at the bar. She took her time finishing her drink, waiting until she got the message from Reyes to meet him for their showdown with Sloane. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that despite everything, Artemis was going to be there; and Phoenix had to be prepared for that. She made her bed, and now she had to be ready to lay in it.

Hours passed and Phoenix had left the bar long before, choosing to take the time to relax in her room before having to kill someone. Reyes message lit up her omni-tool and she was out the door, sniper rifle in hand and headed to her shuttle. She hid her shuttle on the other side of the mountain, hoping that no one would be smart enough to put the pieces together, Madam Kadara needed to appear as neutral as possible in all things.

Phoenix met Reyes at the entrance of the cave with a smirk on her face, “Alright, Charlatan, point me to where I need to be.”

Reyes chuckled at her teasing tone in the way she used his “business” name, “Over there, just behind those rocks, perfect view for a sniper who can’t be viewed.”

Phoenix rolled her eyes at his terrible play on words and headed over to where he wanted her to set up. She tried not to think about all the ways this could go wrong. All the ways that either of them could end up dead. All the ways this could make her lose everything. She fixed her scope just as Sloane walked through the cave entrance and tried not to let her mind wander, tried to concentrate on her target, but concentration got a whole lot harder as soon as Artemis walked in behind Sloane. 

“Fuck.”


	15. The Charlatan and his Madam

Phoenix cursed under her breath and did her best to hide herself further from any possible view while also keeping her line of sight clean. She needed to get as far away from this cave as possible as soon as she pulled the trigger.

“Pathfinder,” SAM spoke to Artemis through their private channel, “There is a sniper.”

Artemis cursed silently, she knew Reyes was a shady bastard but to go as far as not only reveal himself as the Charlatan but also challenge Sloane and use a sniper to make sure he won was low even for him.

“Would you like to know the identity of the sniper, Pathfinder,” SAM added.

_Why would I want to know that_, she wondered. She reasoned that there must be a reason for SAM posing such a question. A whispered _yes_ fell from Artemis’ lips, but nothing could have prepared her for what SAM would tell her next.

“The sniper is Phoenix Ryder, Pathfinder,” SAM informed her.

That changed the game. 

Phoenix steadied herself and prayed to hell and back that Artemis didn’t know she was the one pulling the trigger on Sloane. As soon as she saw Reyes’ signal, she pulled the trigger back and shot Sloane clean from front to back. Sloane’s body fell to the floor and Phoenix let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Nice shot, Phoenix,” Artemis’ icy voice cut through the air as soon as Sloane’s body met the cave floor. Phoenix closed her eyes and whispered to herself, “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” She could hear Artemis shift and knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Pathfinder was supremely pissed off right now.

Artemis glared daggers through Reyes, “Where is she, snipers don’t just disappear.”

Phoenix leaned her head back against rock and took a deep breath before making herself visible, “I’m right here, Missy.”

The Pathfinder wanted to deck Phoenix and leave her to pick up her teeth, “What. The. Fuck.”

“What,” Phoenix tried to play it off like she had no idea why Artemis would be mad at her.

Artemis clenched her jaw and stepped closer to Phoenix, “Seriously, you’re gonna play off what just happened even though you LIED to me!”

“I’m not the only one who lied here,” Phoenix defended herself, “You told me you would stay away from Sloane!”

“And you told me you didn’t know who the Charlatan was,” Artemis shouted back.

That one hurt, Phoenix had to admit, keeping Reyes identity a secret was getting harder every day and starting to cost her more than it was worth, “Missy, listen, I had my reasons-”

“Bullshit,” Artemis cut her off, “Why did you lie to me?!”

Phoenix could hear the pain in Artemis’ voice and see the betrayal in her eyes, it almost made Phoenix wish she was the one who was shot instead of Sloane, “I have a reputation to keep, especially now considering that my reputation is one of the very few things keeping your precious outpost from being blown up on the first day it settles here!”

“I see how it is,” Artemis’ voice became eerily quiet, “It’s all about Madam Kadara, this was never about keeping our family together, it was always about what was best for you and your precious reputation!”

“No,” Phoenix rushed to explain herself better, “That’s not what I meant-”

“Isn’t it,” Artemis screamed, tears threatened to make themselves known as her anger grew, “All your talk about keeping our family together was bullshit!”

“How can you say that,” Phoenix exclaimed.

Artemis raised her hand to silence her sister, “Save it, I don’t want to hear any more lies or excuses,” she turned on her heels and headed for the exit, “I’ll let Nexus leadership know we’re good to go, and you don’t need to worry about my presence on Kadara for much longer, as soon as the outpost is settled I’m gone.”

The Pathfinder’s steps echoed through the cave as she made her exit. Phoenix rushed to catch up to her, “Artemis!”

“_Pathfinder Ryder_,” Artemis venomously corrected her sister, “Goodbye, Madam Kadara.”

Phoenix was at a loss of words, her world stopped. Everything sounded like she was underwater as it became harder to breathe. She couldn’t make her feet move as she watched her younger sister’s form disappear from view.

Reyes watched the scene quickly unravel before him between the Pathfinder and Phoenix. He couldn’t stop the confrontation between them, and it was tearing him apart to see how it broke Phoenix. Gently, he approached Phoenix, “Phoenix, let’s go home,” his voice hesitant, unsure of what to say. Phoenix continued to blankly stare at the space her sister’s form once occupied, not registering Reyes’ voice. He placed a comforting hand on her arm, trying to get her attention, “Phoenix…”

She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with pain and sadness, “Why can’t something go right for me in this goddamn galaxy for _once_?!” Phoenix wanted to scream, kick, even punch a hole through the wall. Everything she had worked for was gone in an instant and it destroyed her, “I can’t do this anymore, Reyes, I’m out.”

“What are you talking about,” there was a slight panic in his voice.

“Starting today, Madam Kadara is dead,” she took in a deep breath, “I just want to Phoenix Ryder again, not a shadowy crime lord, not an information seller, not the woman who turned the politics of Kadara upside down,” her voice swayed between pain and exhaustion, “I just want to be Phoenix Ryder, daughter of Alec and Ellen Ryder, and older sister to the dumbest twins in the galaxy.”

Reyes sighed, “You can’t just flip a switch and decide that you don’t want to be Madam Kadara anymore,” worry started to eat its way into his thoughts and words, “You’ve made some powerful enemies that would jump at the chance to not only take your place but also squeeze every ounce of information out of you, and then kill you for insurance.”

She chewed her lip; he was right and she hated when he was right. It was a hard pill to swallow, the fact that she created a life of freedom for herself that quickly became a gilded cage. Her shoulders started to slump as it felt like the weight of her carefully crafted reputation finally came crashing down on her. Reyes gently guided her into his arms as tears started to fall and her barriers broke down. Phoenix started to shake as tears flowed more freely from her eyes, in both anger and frustration. There were no promises that could make her hurt any less; no what-ifs to make her trick herself into thinking that she hadn’t just lost one of the few people in Andromeda she was trying to keep.

Reyes wasn’t sure how long they had been in that cave, between removing Sloane and Phoenix losing her sister, but he was sure it had been hours. When Phoenix had finally stopped crying long enough to breathe, she took a deep breath and steadied herself. Silently, she pushed herself away from Reyes and headed towards where her shuttle was parked, giving him a look that she was ready to leave. Reyes was right, she couldn’t just flip a switch and go back to being just Phoenix Ryder and there was still work to be done before she let herself retire.

Months passed as Phoenix let herself fall back into a familiar rhythm, but it didn’t stop her from keeping tabs on her sister; she owed it to her dad to make sure Artemis was safe. She heard about Elaaden, New Tuchanka, and all the progress she had made with the Krogan. Pride was the smallest word for what she felt about Artemis, their parents would be at a loss for words in the best way parents could be. Phoenix also kept a close eye on the new Initiative outpost on Kadara, maintaining her end of the bargain; after all, she is a woman of her word.

Reyes worried that Phoenix was running herself into the ground, he could see the exhaustion dripping off her behind closed doors. He wanted to take all of the weight of responsibility from her but he knew that she would never let him.

The door to Phoenix’s room slid open as Reyes let himself in, “Do you ever sleep anymore?”

His tone sounded almost playful and borderlined on worry. Phoenix picked up on his infliction and glanced up from her datapad, “Do you ever knock anymore?”

“Phoenix,” he leveled his tone, “When was the last time you slept?”

She sighed, making her voice smaller to hide the fact that she hasn’t slept in a while, “Last night…”

“No you didn’t, and you know how I know,” he stated, “Because the light from your datapad kept me up.”

Phoenix put her datapad down, an air of annoyance radiating off her, “I told you I had work to do.” 

“We both know that this has nothing to do with work,” he sat down next to her and gently took the datapad from her to place it out of her reach, “Are you having nightmares again?”

“Reyes, stop,” she moved to reach for the datapad as she tried to change the subject, “Let me get back to work.”

“Phoenix, you can talk to me,” he tried to get through to her and ease whatever was keeping her from sleeping, “Please, talk to me.”

Phoenix stopped, she knew that he was trying to help and she knew that he meant well. She wondered if she could tell him about the demons she wanted to forget about, the nightmares that had plagued her since she found out about her father’s death that only worsened after Artemis cut her off. Her eyes met his as she sat back, “What’s there to talk about,” Phoenix’s voice began to shake, “My parents are dead, my brother’s in a coma for who knows how long, and my sister doesn’t want anything to do with me, I feel like it’s all pretty self-explanatory.”

“Then give me an example,” he stated.

She opened her mouth to speak but the words were heavy in her throat and unfamiliar, they came out dripping with hesitation and vulnerability, “I…dream about my dad mostly…and about my baby brother and reckless baby sister…,” Phoenix paused before finishing her sentence, “Dreams that always…always turn into nightmares that end in me being alone.”

Reyes pulled her close and she let herself fall into his embrace, he kissed the top of her head, “You’re not alone, as long as I’m around you’ll never be alone.”

Phoenix let his words wash over her and did her best to find comfort in them, but some things are easier said than done. Doubts flooded her mind and she fought with herself to voice them, “And what if you leave, what if something happens to you or you decide I’m not worth the trouble and you find someone else?”

“Someone else,” Reyes echoed in disbelief, “I love you and that will never change,” he chuckled slightly, “Sometimes I worry you’re the one who will leave me.”

She pushed herself away from him and looked at him in disbelief, “Why would you think that?!”

“Why would you,” he answered her question with one of his own.

Phoenix let herself relax and sit back, “I hate you sometimes,” she chewed her bottom lip; he had a point.

He smiled, happy with himself, “You love me.”

She sighed, “I do.”

They settled into a comfortable silence, finding peace in one another. Phoenix started to feel herself drift off and was just on the brink of falling asleep as a loud banging could be heard from her door. It startled her awake as she could hear Umi’s voice on the other end, “Phoenix, get your ass up, it’s important!”

Phoenix stretched as she did as Umi said, hearing the Asari’s frantic undertone. She opened her door and greeted the Asari, “Hey, Umi, what’s up?”

Umi folded her arms in front of her chest, “Have you heard the news?”

“What news,” Phoenix asked.

“The Pathfinder is dead,” Umi replied.


	16. An Exile on My Nexus??

Time stopped.

Everything stopped.

Phoenix caught her breath and just stared at the Asari. Reyes stood from where he was sitting to stand next to Phoenix, “When?”

“I overheard it at the bar,” Umi informed him, “So I can’t give you an exact date and time of death but all I know is that everyone is talking about it.”

Phoenix barely made a sound as she grabbed her coat and omni-tool, moving past Reyes and Umi, headed straight for the door. Reyes stuttered as he watched Phoenix silently leave and chased after her, “Where are you going?”

“The Nexus,” she replied.

“You’re an Exile,” Reyes tried to reason with her, “You can’t just pop over to the Nexus whenever you want!”

Phoenix reached the dock and told the dockmaster to ready her shuttle, “And they can’t just send my sister on missions that get her killed!”

There was fire and anger in her voice and Reyes knew that he had already lost the argument before it even began. He ran a hand through his hair as she boarded her shuttle, “Just…don’t get shot.”

She nodded and shut the door to her shuttle, there was an urge to reassure him that getting shot was out of the question but she knew better than that, and he knew that she was going to be about as careful as a bull in a china shop.

Her skin felt like it was on fire as she gripped the controls of the shuttle. Artemis was dead and not even so much as a pre-recorded message was sent. The fear that her brother would be next on the Nexus’ list of deceased colonists; and she would be damned if she was gonna let that happen.

When she finally caught sight of the station she made sure to call Kandros just as she was getting ready to dock. Her only lifeline on the station.

Kandros answered after the third call, “Phoenix, why are you calling?”

“You need to be on the Docking Bay in five minutes,” she stated.

She could hear the shuffling of him moving and the panic in his voice, “What’s going on?”

Her shuttle lit up as she shifted and prepared to dock, “I’ll see you in five.”

The call ended just before Kandros could get a word in and Phoenix prepared for a welcome that was not all that friendly.

Phoenix exited her shuttle and was greeted by Nexus security, guns loaded. She could hear Kandros coming up behind them, slightly out of breath, “Stand down.”

The guards looked to each other; confusion written on their faces. Phoenix huffed, “You heard the man, now go find someone else to point your guns at.”

They murmured amongst each other as they slowly dispersed. Kandros’ face shifted from panicked to annoyed, “Phoenix, what are you doing here, you know you can’t be here.”

She fixed him with a look that nearly knocked him off his feet, “Where is she?”

“Who,” Kandros asked.

“My sister,” she exclaimed.

Kandros sighed and looked behind him as he heard a cacophony of footsteps headed their way, “She’s with your brother in the Cryo Bay, I can escort you there.”

Phoenix nodded, happy that Kandros was still willing to be civil with her. She started to follow Kandros as he turned and took a step forward only to come within an inch of running into him as he stopped abruptly.

“Director Tann,” Krandos’ voice controlled and even, “I’m sure you’re here about the Exile that forced her way onto our station.”

Tann’s voice came across as diplomat trying not to panic, “That I am, I also heard that it was none other than Phoenix Ryder herself!”

Phoenix rolled her eyes, not in the mood to play nice with the so-called ‘Director’, “Tann, I heard about what happened to my sister on her last mission and that’s why I’m here, I’m not trying to take down the Nexus,” her voice started to betray how hurt she was, “I’m just here to make sure what’s left of my family is okay.”

“Still,” Tann refused to budge, “You forced your way onto the Nexus, causing panic and endangering the lives of everyone here!”

Phoenix’s temper started to get the better of her as she began fuming, “Tann-”

Kandros cut her off before she could make things worse, “I will personally escort Phoenix to the Cry Bay and ensure that she goes nowhere else on the station,” he fixed Tann with a look that let the Director know this was none negotiable, “She deserves this much after helping us set up an outpost on Kadara.”

“It’s not about what anyone deserves,” Tann sputtered, “It’s about setting precedent!”

Phoenix could see Kesh come into view as the Krogan voiced her own opinion, “Kandros is right, number eight, as long as Phoenix is being escorted by security to and from the Cryo Bay, there’s no harm in letting her be reunited with her family.”

Tann looked from Kesh to Kandros, realizing that he truly had no say in the matter, “Very well, I suppose there is some…merit in keeping things peaceful between us.”

Phoenix rolled her eyes, _Diplomats_. She smiled thankfully at Kesh and slowly started to realize that Kandros might not be the only one willing to still be civil with her. Tann moved out of their way and she continued to follow Kandros to the tram. She sighed and sat across from Kandros, “Why wasn’t I told?”

“Told what,” Kandros asked in confusion.

“About my sister,” Phoenix exclaimed, “I have a right to know when someone in my family dies!”

Kandros stared at her, perplexed, “The Pathfinder isn’t dead.”

Phoenix held her breath as her mind stopped processing what was happening, “What?”

The Turian scoffed, “That explains why you showed up out of the blue and forced your way on to the station,” he shook his head, “Look, everything will be explained when we get to the Cryo Bay and you can see for yourself that Artemis is very much alive.”

Phoenix looked at Kandros and did her best to bite her tongue when in reality she wanted to blow something up. She shifted in her seat, too anxious to stay still, “One minute she’s dead, and the next she’s not…”

Kandros hummed, “Believe me when I tell you we were just as shocked when she came back from her brush with the Archon.”

“Her what,” Phoenix held her breath as her voice became increasingly angrier, “Her _what_, Kandros?!”

The tram stopped as they reached the Cryo Bay of the Hyperion and Kandros sighed a breath of relief, “Oh, look, we’re here.”

She glared daggers at him as he exited the tram and followed his lead. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind at a mile a minute as the walk to the Cryo Bay felt both too long and too short. Her feet stopped just before crossing the threshold, she steadied herself as the doors slid open to reveal ghosts from her past and her present.


	17. Answers

Phoenix caught sight of her sister almost immediately and began to rush to her side, “Artemis!”

The Pathfinder turned her head in the direction of her sister, surprise written across her features, “Phoenix, what are you doing here?!”

Phoenix grabbed her sister’s hand as soon as she reached her, worry taking over her mind and replacing any other feeling, “I heard you were dead, what happened?!”

Artemis wanted to pull her hand from her sister’s grasp, she hadn’t forgotten about their fight on Kadara and she hadn’t forgiven Phoenix either, “It’s a long story, but SAM brought me back,” she paused for a moment, “But you can’t be here, how did you even get this far?!”

Kandros nodded his head in the direction of Artemis, “Pathfinder.”

Artemis sighed and chuckled, “I should have known.”

Phoenix wanted to hug her sister but didn’t want to rock the boat anymore than she already did, “I know we didn’t end on the right foot back on Kadara, but please let me know next time you go running into fire,” she met her sister’s gaze with intensity, “I’ll run with you.”

The Pathfinder let out a breath as her emotions warred with her. She was still angry with Phoenix but she welcomed the comfort her older sister brought her. The urge to embrace Phoenix ran through Artemis and she gave in, needing her older sister more than she wanted to admit. Phoenix hesitated to reciprocate her sister’s embrace, startled by Artemis’ willingness to look past her anger. Her arms wrapped around Artemis, she knew that this didn’t mean that what happened on Kadara was forgiven but she did know that her little sister needed her right now and that was all that mattered.

Artemis took a deep breath as she began to confide in her sister, “I was so scared that I wouldn’t come back, that the Archon had won.”

Phoenix squeezed her tighter, “But you’re here now, and besides,” she chuckled trying to ease her sister’s fear, “Us Ryders aren’t that easy to get rid of.”

The Pathfinder laughed, “That is true, after Habitat 7 you think I would know that by now.”

They parted as Phoenix pulled away, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that,” her mouth formed a thin line, “Is there something that happened on Habitat 7 that you forgot to tell me about?”

Artemis fixed her with a look that told her not to push her luck, “Don’t push it, Madam Kadara,” a sigh escaped her lips, “We need to have a sit down once all of this is over and lay everything out, I want my sister back but not if she’s going to lie to me and keep secrets.”

Phoenix considered Artemis’ words and nodded, “Sounds fair…mom and dad wouldn’t want us to fight like this.”

Both grew quiet at the mention of their parents, they knew that no matter what their parents would want them to look out for each other. Artemis was the first to break the silence as she looked over towards their brother, “Well, since you’re already here and I am very much not dead, you should go check on Apollo.”

Phoenix followed Artemis’ line of sight and saw Apollo unconscious a few beds down, she walked over to her little brother and gently grasped his hand. She looked down at Apollo, unsure if she wanted to collapse or scream. His chest slowly rose and fell, giving Phoenix the only confirmation he was alive that she could process in the moment. She ran her thumb over his hand back and forth, something to remind her that he was actually in front of her and it wasn’t a trick of the mind. The faint sound of her name being uttered drew her attention away from her comatose brother to the man she wanted to forget was in charge of making sure Apollo woke up safely, Harry Carlyle.

Harry stared at Phoenix, he wasn’t expecting to see her here; or at all. Artemis told him about Phoenix’s life on Kadara, so he hadn’t planned on seeing her anywhere near the Nexus, much less the Hyperion Cryo-Bay. He uttered her name without thinking first and her eyes stared through him, jaw set as if daring him to speak again.

It was unsettling how much she resembled Alec in this moment.

Harry cleared his throat to try and hide the fact that he hadn’t intended to say her name, “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

Her eyes drilled holes in him and made him feel infinitely smaller than he actually was; an ability she inherited from her father no doubt. He waited for her to reply, to tell him she almost wished he hadn’t made it to Andromeda. Harry wanted her to still be as angry with him as she was before she left the Milky Way.

“Doctor Carlyle, nobody expected me to be here, but I needed to make sure my little sister was still alive and well,” Phoenix shifted her gaze back to her brother, “How is Apollo?”

The way she spoke to him scared Harry more than he would like to admit. He expected some sort of emotion but there was nothing; in this moment she was all business.

“He’ll pull through, if your sister can do it after her brush with death on Habitat 7, I’m sure he can too,” Harry replied.

Harry’s words made Phoenix’s breath catch in her throat, she hated that everyone knew more about her sister’s start in Andromeda than she did, “She still hasn’t told me everything about what happened then.”

He caught the look of frustration on Phoenix’s face, Artemis hadn’t told her about almost dying and Harry wasn’t exactly sure if he should be the one to break the news, “I assumed she told you.”

Phoenix sighed, she knew the upper hand here was hers and she would be damned if she wasn’t going to use it to her advantage, “No,” she looked at Harry and a fierce protective look in her eyes took him aback, “What happened on that planet?” She would be damned if she wasn’t about to find out exactly what the good doctor was talking about.

Harry nervously rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m not so sure if I should be the one to tell you.”

She wanted to scream, her voice started to shake slightly, “Harry, you owe me this much.”

The sudden sound of her using his first name again took Harry off guard. He could see the anger in her eyes and hear the small tremble in her voice. Harry looked at Apollo’s chart in his hands, trying to gather his thoughts. She was right, he owed her at least this much, if not more.

This would be one of the very few times that he was grateful that the Cryo-Bay was empty except for Apollo and few stragglers, “Artemis died on Habitat 7 after she was caught in the same blast that killed your father, the only way for us to save her was to connect her with SAM directly, SAM brought her back.”

Phoenix listened to everything Harry told her with an air of emotion that varied from disbelief to anger wildly. When he finished, she looked back down at Apollo, hearing how she almost lost her little sister at the same time she lost her father was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Tears started to flow from her eyes and her shoulders began to shake slightly. She wondered if it would have been different if she hadn’t gone to Andromeda first, if she had been on the Hyperion with the rest of them, if she could have saved them.

Harry watched as Phoenix started to breakdown, the last time he saw her cry like this was when she found out about her mother’s disease. Instinctively, he put down Apollo’s chart and reached out to embrace her but stopped himself. He couldn’t offer her the same amount of comfort that he used to, opting to place a comforting hand over her shoulder.

Phoenix felt Harry’s hand on her shoulder and it made her want to scream even more than she already did. She roughly batted his hand away, “Are you serious?”

Harry opened and closed his mouth, knowing he needed to say something but unsure what to say.

Phoenix continued to speak, never looking up from her brother, “You broke up with me after three years with only a note saying I should take the opportunity to leave for Andromeda first, you packed up all your shit and left me in a cold Citadel apartment without a word, and then you stand here and tell me my sister died on Habitat 7 before being revived by SAM?!”

Harry didn’t need to see her face to know that she was beyond angry with him, her voice held enough fire to burn down the whole Nexus, “Phoenix, I’m sorry.”

She clenched her jaw, her words being spit through gritted teeth, “Sorry doesn’t fucking cut it.”

This was about more than just Artemis’ flirt with death, Phoenix wanted answers and closure and Harry wasn’t sure if he was willing to tell her all of the ugly truth after he just told her about how her sister almost died.

Phoenix suddenly met eyes with the Doctor, the pain and venom in her eyes said more than words ever could, “I want fucking answers, Harry, I want closure!”

Harry wanted to tell her everything, but he didn’t want to break her heart any more than he already has, “Phoenix, you came here for your family, I’m sorry-”

“Stop fucking apologizing,” Phoenix cut him off abruptly, “Look, yes, I came here to check on what’s left of my adrenaline junky family, but I also want some answers,” her voice cracked as her emotions started to skyrocket, “You have no idea what I went through that day, so all I want to know is, was I just some sort of convenient fuck for you for three years?!”


	18. Hope You're Happy

Artemis turned her head as soon as she heard Phoenix raise her voice. The Pathfinder was talking to Kandros about one of their militia teams, so she neglected to notice that Phoenix and Harry had started to catch up. She sighed and excused herself from her conversation with Kandros, walking towards Phoenix and Harry.

“I’m not sure this is the right time or place,” Harry spoke hesitantly.

Phoenix clenched her jaw, “You’re one to talk about the right time and place,” her hand formed a fist, her knuckles turning white.

“What’s going on,” Artemis approached the two of them gently, not wanting to make the situation any more explosive than it already was.

Harry looked from Phoenix to Artemis, silently pleading with the Pathfinder to calm down her sister, “Pathfinder…”

Phoenix looked behind her briefly before turning back to Harry, her anger getting the best of her, “Answer me, Harry, was I just something convenient for you because you were more than convenience for me.”

Artemis folded her arms in front of her chest and fixed the Doctor with a look that could rival Phoenix’s, “I would also like to hear this answer.” She would be lying if watching her sister’s heart break after Harry left her didn’t make Artemis want to kill him and dump his body in deep space.

Harry sighed, reasoning that he was getting nowhere with either of the women in front of him, “Can we at least have this conversation in my office?”

“Perfect,” Phoenix replied, “That way I can break your desk in half and not your face.”

Kandros stepped forward, “Phoenix…”

She waved him off, “Calm down, I promise not to hurt the good doctor, and the Pathfinder will be with me.”

“What you do on this station reflects heavily on me because I vouched for you,” Kandros stated, “I’ll be right here when you’re done.” He didn’t want to hear all of Phoenix’s relationship baggage with the Doctor. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel for his friend, because he did, he just didn’t feel the need to be a fly on the wall.

Both women nodded as they followed Harry to his office at the back of the Cryo Bay.

He closed the door behind them, wanting to continue their conversation in privacy. A heavy sigh left his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m not sure what you want me to say, but the short answer to your question is no, you were never just a convenience for me.”

“Then tell me why you choose to break up with a note,” Phoenix exclaimed, “Why did you throw me away like I was nothing,” her temper raged as her words spilled out, “I gave you my heart and you shredded it like a toy!” Artemis placed a comforting hand on her sister’s arm as she addressed Harry. Phoenix leaned into it slightly, finding strength in Artemis.

Harry considered his words before he spoke, “Alec came to me, the night before we all went to dinner and he told everyone about the Initiative…and he gave me an ultimatum.”

Phoenix scoffed, “Are you trying to tell me that my dad came up to you and told you to choose between Andromeda and me?!”

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “In a word…yes.”

Artemis could feel the rage radiating off her sister, “Our dad wouldn’t do that…” She didn’t want to believe it, she respected him too much for that, “He just wanted us to be happy.”

Phoenix clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, she wanted to have the same disbelief in her father’s actions that Artemis did but she knew better, “You had a choice…a fucking _choice_, Andromeda or me…and you choose Andromeda?!”

“Andromeda was my retirement plan,” Harry defended himself, “You had your whole life ahead of you and I was getting ready to plan how I wanted mine to end.”

Tears started to fall down her face, hot and angry, she wanted to scream. She wanted to make him feel the same pain she felt when he broke her heart and the pain left over. Her eyes met his with a cold stare, “I hope you’re happy with the choice you made, Doctor Carlyle.”

Harry opened his mouth but found that he had no words at his disposal that could possibly make Phoenix feel anything other than pain. The way she said his title hurt more than he wanted to admit, he understood that the choice he made would have consequences but if someone had told him that Andromeda would be like this, he might have made a different choice.

Phoenix turned on her heels and left the office, not wanting to be anywhere near Harry. Artemis fixed the doctor with a look as cold as her sister’s, “Take good care of Apollo, Harry, because if you hurt anyone else in my family, it’ll be the last thing you ever do in Andromeda.” She followed Phoenix out the door, making sure to leave the doctor with a healthy dose of _you-fucked-up_.

Kandros took in both the women, noticing that neither was in a particularly good mood, “How did it go?”

“Not now, Tiran,” Phoenix replied. She knew he was trying to help but right now all she wanted was to head back to Kadara and forget Harry ever existed.

The use of his first name worried Kandros, Phoenix only did that when he tried to dig too deep into the hole that was her emotional trauma and baggage. He shared a look with Artemis, knowing that Phoenix would be in safe hands and that his presence was no longer needed, “I have militia business to attend to, Pathfinder, I trust that Phoenix will be in good hands.”

A small smile graced Artemis’ lips, a wordless thank you, “Of course.”

Phoenix nodded at Kandros as the Turian left, “Missy, I’m sorry.”

The Pathfinder furrowed her brow at the sudden apology, “For what?”

“For forcing my way onto this station,” Phoenix elaborated, “For causing the entire Nexus to go into panic mode.”

Artemis laughed, “Oh please,” she linked an arm around Phoenix’s and led her towards the trams, “This was the most exciting thing that’s happened so far that hasn’t required me to be in any immediate danger, it was almost refreshing.”

Phoenix bursted into laughter and Artemis grinned, happy that she could still make her older sister laugh when things turned messy. They took a tram to the docking bay, talking about nothing and everything all at once. Silently wanting to make this moment last just a little longer, a moment where neither of them was important, a moment where they could be just sisters again.

Phoenix made it back to Kadara with more weighing on her shoulders than when she left. The sky was dark with the few lights of Kadara Port the only thing lighting up the docking area where she parked her shuttle. She stepped into the familiar area and immediately made her way to Tartarus, seeking the comfort of Reyes and knowing he would be there.

She waved to the bartender as she entered the club and made her way to Reyes private room. Kian laughed to himself, “How do you always know when he’s here?”

“That’s easy,” a smile graced her lips as she moved to open the door, “You’re the only other person who sees him more than I do.”

Kian laughed wholeheartedly, and Phoenix’s smile turned into a grin as the door slid open to reveal Reyes drinking with his eyes trained on a datapad. Reyes brow wrinkled as he read whatever information was sent to him. His eyes never strayed from the datapad as he heard the door slide open, voice stern, “What?”

“Should I leave,” Phoenix teased, she knew he hadn’t yet realized that it was her who walked through the door.

Reyes head shot up at the sound of her voice, “Phoenix, when did you get back?”

She laughed and took a seat next to him on the couch, brushing some the hair out of his face that had fallen out of place, “Just now.”

He leaned into her touch slightly, raising a hand to capture hers and pull her closer, “Welcome back, how did it go?”

She allowed him to pull her closer as she reached for his datapad and placed it on a nearby table, “Both better and worse than I had hoped, my sister isn’t dead, and I saw Harry.”

Reyes looked at her with concern, “Are you okay?”

“Honestly,” Phoenix considered his question, “I don’t know.”

She told him everything, from the moment she arrived at the Nexus to the moment she boarded her shuttle and headed back to Kadara. It was cathartic for her, to finally get everything out in the open, she wondered for a moment why she had never done it before; but she remembered. A sad sort of laughter escaped her lips as the realization donned on her.

Reyes wrinkled his brow in confusion, nothing she told was worth laughing over and part of him wondered if maybe she had finally snapped, “What’s so funny?”

Phoenix hummed, her voice tinged with defeat and anxiety, “Last time I let somebody in like this…was Harry.” She could feel his gaze on her, but she refused to meet it, refused to let him see how vulnerable she was, how fragile she became when all of her walls came down.

This wasn’t the first time Phoenix had confided in him, in moments of vulnerability she had sought him out, but something told him this time was different. It occurred to him that she probably had more scars than he knew, just like he had scars she had yet to see. He laced his fingers with hers as he met the hand resting in her lap, “Thank you.”

“For what,” she inquired.

He kissed the top of her head, “For letting me in.”

Her eyes found their ways to his, no one had ever thanked her for such a thing. She’s heard the obligatory “I love you”, “I’m here for you”, “It gets better”. All the things someone could ever tell you when you tell them about all the baggage you have locked away. She tightened her grip around the hand that was laced with hers, “I love you.”

Reyes smiled, wide and bright, “I know.”

She rolled her eyes playfully and laughed, “That movie is over 800 years old.”

They laughed together and things almost felt normal, like everything that had happened in the past few months had been a bad dream. It was comforting and Phoenix let herself believe it as they spent the rest of the night trying to distract the other from reality.


	19. Promise

Almost another month had gone by before Phoenix heard anything from or about her sister. She chewed her lip and stood the edge of a cliff looking over the Initiative outpost on Kadara, unsure if the lack of information was comforting or concerning.

The outpost was thriving as best they could on a planet full of people Exiled from the Nexus and that would otherwise want every Colonist dead in the spirit of spite. Her omni-tool blinked with an incoming message from none other than the Pathfinder. Phoenix opened her omni-tool, trying to hide the excitement that went through her at getting the chance to talk to her sister again, “What can I do for you, baby sister of mine?”

“Please never say that again,” Artemis spoke, “I’m calling because I want to know if you want to join me on the Tempest to go kick some Archon ass?”

Phoenix knitted her brows, “Isn’t that what got you killed and then un-killed?”

“Yes…,” Artemis confirmed, “But I’m not dead so…”

“Artemis, what’s going on,” Phoenix asked.

Artemis sighed deeply, “I’m headed to Meridian, I have a feeling it’s going to get really messy and…,” she hesitated to finish her sentence, “…I could really use some N7 muscle.”

Phoenix almost pinched herself, wondering if this whole conversation was a dream waiting to turn sour, “Are you sure?”

Artemis’ laughed, “Yes I’m sure, I could really use another Ryder to back me up.” There was still unresolved tension between them from the conversation they haven’t had yet, but Artemis knew that there was no one else she would rather save a galaxy with than her big sister.

“Then I’m all yours,” Phoenix grinned, “Pathfinder.” She didn’t need to think about her reply, Artemis could have asked her to take a trip across the universe for a milkshake and Phoenix would drop everything.

“Great,” Artemis’ grin could be heard in her voice, “I’ll be in Kadara in a few hours.”

Phoenix hung up from the call and immediately boarded her shuttle and headed towards Kralla’s, sending Reyes a message to meet her there.

When she arrived at Kralla’s, she immediately went to her room and started to pull out her armor and gun, checking to make sure everything was in order. Reyes walked into the organized chaos that was her preparations, “Going somewhere?”

Phoenix fiddled with her gun, “My sister called, said she needs extra muscle and I agreed,” she cursed under her breath, “Fuck, I really did a number on this thing, it’s done.”

“So, you told me to meet you here just to tell me that you’re going on an extremely dangerous mission with your sister that could get you killed,” Reyes folded his arms in front of his chest, “You could have just called.”

She gasped and feigned insult, “And miss out on the opportunity to have mind-blowing ‘I’m going on a suicide mission and this is the last time you could ever see me’ sex?!”

He tried not to laugh at her ridiculous remark, responding with one of his own, “Oh, so this is a booty call?”

“No,” she chuckled, “I wish it was that simple.” Her gun was left lying on the desk where she was trying to get it back into working condition, “I want to ask you a favor,” she hesitated in her words, “If this is going to get as messy as my sister thinks, I want you to listen in on the transmissions between the Tempest and the Nexus in case we need the extra push.” There was a knot in the pit of her stomach, she knew that she might not come back from this and it scared her. Her eyes, filled with uncertainty, met his, “It would make me feel better knowing I had a safety net to catch me if I trip and fall.”

Reyes unfolded his arms and walked closer to her, pulling her into a loose embrace, “I’ll always be there to catch you when you fall.”

A sparkling smile graced her lips, “I know, but sometimes I just like to hear you say it,” she glanced over to her handgun, “Now, all I need is to get a replacement for that and I’m off to the Tempest.”

“Oh, about that,” Reyes moved to fiddle a gun holster on his side and pulled a Sidewinder, “I noticed that after your last mission with the Pathfinder and I just happened to get my hands on a Sidewinder with your name on it.”

Phoenix’s face lit up as she took the pistol from Reyes, “I’ve always been a sucker for a Sidewinder,” she beamed, “Thank you.”

There was an unexpected knock on the door. Reyes looked to Phoenix, wondering if she was expecting anyone but she looked just as confused as he was. A second knocked came from the door, followed by the familiar voice of the Pathfinder, “Phoenix, let me in!”

Phoenix rolled her eyes, calling back, “The door’s open, don’t be dramatic!”

The door slid open to reveal Artemis grinning on the other side, “Now, where’s the fun in that?” She didn’t wait for a response, stepping into the room, “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time to go create history.”

A sense of excitement ran through Phoenix at her sister’s words, she parted from Reyes with a kiss goodbye and practically jumped to her sister’s side. Reyes chuckled, knowing how distracted she could get when she was excited, “Were you planning on wearing your armor or is it just out for show?”

Artemis shot her sister a look that could rival any mother, “Phoenix, I swear if you don’t wear your armor, I will give you bangs in your sleep.”

“You wouldn’t,” Phoenix gasped.

“Try me,” Artemis cemented her threat.

Phoenix turned and immediately started to grab her armor, “I never believed in the whole evil twin thing everyone says is true, but now, I believe it.”

The Pathfinder laughed as Phoenix went into her bathroom to change into her armor. Reyes laughed as he watched Phoenix grab the pieces of her armor and excuse herself to change, “I might have to use that sometime, she can be so stubborn.”

“She gets it from me,” Artemis remarked.

A silence fell over the room, neither Charlatan nor Pathfinder wanting to speak first but both having something to say. Artemis let out a breath, deciding to break the strange silence, “Were you the reason she lied to me?”

Reyes didn’t have to ask her what she was referring to her, he remembered her fight with Phoenix in the cave. He thought about denying it, saying that it was Phoenix’s decision alone to keep his identity as The Charlatan a secret but that would have been a lie not worth telling, “It is a standing mutual agreement we have, she doesn’t sell information about The Charlatan or the Collective and I supply her with anything she needs that she can’t get her hands on.”

Artemis hummed, thinking about his response, “So your relationship with my sister is purely to keep you’re secret?”

“I’m not using Phoenix to keep my criminal life a secret, I can do that on my own,” Reyes shot back. He didn’t want to argue with the Pathfinder, let alone Phoenix’s sister, and he had a sinking feeling that is where this conversation was headed. Reyes let out a breath to anchor himself before speaking, “Phoenix has my heart, and I would like to think I have hers.”

Artemis could see the sincerity in his eyes and hear it in his voice, but there was a part of her that worried for her sister that she just couldn’t ignore, “Vidal, if you ever hurt my sister, I will be there to make sure it is the last thing you ever do,” a sigh left her lips as she tried to curb her own emotions, “She gives her heart too easily sometimes, I worry about her.”

Phoenix walked into the room, fully changed into her armor, and noticed the strange energy in the room immediately, “What’s going on?”

Artemis quickly changed her tone to address her sister, “Reyes and I were just talking about how you are starting to develop a nasty habit of not wearing your armor in fights.”

Reyes briefly met eyes with the Pathfinder, sharing a silent agreement before turning his attention to Phoenix, “Yes, what’s the point of having armor if you’re just going to forget to wear it?”

Phoenix smiled as she walked towards the two of them, “The two of you are ridiculous.” She brushed past Reyes only to find herself face to face with him as he grabbed her hand. Their eyes met, his in a silent question and hers filled with reassurance. He rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed and voice barely above a whisper, “Promise me, you’ll come back, alive.”

“I promise,” Phoenix lifted her head away from his, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

Artemis watched them with a soft smile on her face, they loved each other, even she could see that. She was happy that her sister found someone to love and love her in a galaxy that has been less than forgiving. The Pathfinder placed a hand on Phoenix’s arm, “Sorry to interrupt, but we have to go.”

The two parted and Phoenix left with her sister, ready to board an actual ship with an actual Pathfinder on an actual Initiative mission for the first time since she left the Milky Way.


	20. Rivalry

Phoenix stepped foot on the Tempest, beaming with excitement. Artemis laughed at her sister’s childlike demeanor, “You weren’t nearly this excited the first time you were here.”

“This time is different,” Phoenix remarked, “This time I’m here on an actual Initiative sanctioned mission lead by an actual Pathfinder, I would have killed for this a year ago.” 

A heavy silence fell over the two. Phoenix let out a breath, not wanting to relive the past with someone who wasn’t there to live through it, “So, where’s the rest of the team?”

The Pathfinder wanted to talk to her sister and be there for her when she couldn’t, but Phoenix seemed more than reluctant, “Depends who you’re looking for, this is a big ship and everyone has their own little spot they like to hang out in,” she spared a look towards the stairs leading towards the meeting area, “Follow me, I’ll officially introduce you to everyone without hiking through the entire ship, you can do that on your own.”

“Lead the way, Pathfinder,” Phoenix remarked with a smile on her face. She hadn’t been this excited to meet or be part of a team since her days in the Alliance. The memory played in her mind almost like those old movies she used to watch as a kid with actors and actresses whose fame held up against the passing of time. She leaned against the railing as the occupants of the Tempest gathered, wondering how much they knew about her and what they already thought of her.

Artemis addressed her team, “We’re heading towards Meridian and who knows what else, so I made the executive decision to employ a little bit of outside help,” she glanced around the room and back at her sister before continuing, trying to read their reactions, “Phoenix Ryder will be joining us on this mission, she is ex-alliance, a trained N7, and my older sister.”

Now it was Phoenix’s turn to read the room. She recognized Drack, Vetra, and Cora but unfamiliar with the others. Their reactions were mixed, some wanting to speak and others waiting for her to speak. Drack rumbled with laughter, “This is gonna be good.”

Phoenix grinned at Drack’s statement, “You know it, hope you can keep up old man.”

“Ha,” Drack remarked, “Kid, you’re the one whose had the cushy desk job while I’ve been out hunting Kett since I left the Nexus.”

Vetra joined the conversation, “I don’t know about that, I’ve heard some wild stories about how she got that cushy desk job.”

Liam perked up at Vetra’s words, “Like what?”

“I would also like to hear these stories,” Jaal voiced.

Vetra started to open her mouth but stopped and spared a look at Phoenix before speaking, “I could tell you, but why hear it from me when the woman herself is right here.”

All eyes were on Phoenix, waiting for her to speak. She met eyes with Artemis, eyebrows raised in a silent statement followed by a question. Artemis laughed before shaking her head, “The Tempest isn’t bugged, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“A little bit,” Phoenix admitted, “I’m about to tell a few stories that may or may not have criminal activity in them and directly implicate me in several dozen crimes.”

Drack and Vetra burst with laughter as Artemis shook her head, “I don’t know what I was expecting, but you’re good to say whatever you want, leadership isn’t gonna know.”

Phoenix grinned and clapped her hands together, “Perfect.”

Hours flew by as Phoenix told story after story of the crazier things she had to do to obtain the reputation of Madam Kadara. Boisterous laughter filled the room as she spoke animatedly, “And if things couldn’t get any worse, the water filtration system blows and the whole damn cave turns into a Molotov Cocktail while I’m hauling ass!”

The room bursts into another fit of laughter. Jaal wrinkles his brow in confusion, “What is a Molotov Cocktail,” he pronounces every syllable of the word with unfamiliarity.

“It’s a bottle of alcohol that you stick a cloth at the end of and light on fire that explodes,” Liam explained.

Realization hit Jaal as he fully realized Phoenix’s words, his voice boomed, “I see, that is both dangerous and exciting!”

Artemis grinned, “And exactly the type of situation my sister is known to get herself into.”

“That’s why I became an N7 too,” Phoenix boasted, “Danger and excitement around every corner.”

Vetra chuckled, “I see the family resemblance, I wasn’t sure before but now I see it.”

The Ryder women looked at the Turian in confusion, silently waiting for Vetra to explain, “You’re both adrenaline junkies, and with the stories to prove it.”

The women laughed, Vetra was far from wrong. Phoenix playfully nudged Artemis with her elbow, “Stories, scars, and tattoos, should be the Ryder motto.”

“Must have gotten it from your dad,” Cora voiced, “He always was one for adventure.”

Phoenix’s demeanor instantly changed, she had been trying to forget Cora was here at all, “Yes, we did, what other facts about my father would you like to enlighten us with?”

The whole room went silent. Cora stood her ground, “What does that mean?”

Artemis tried to stop anything before it started, “Phoenix, Cora, I’m not going to have petty arguments on my ship, if the two of you are going to have an issue then you better take it up with each other like adults or fight it out in the training ring, because this ends rivalry ends now.”

The sternness in Artemis’ voice reminded Phoenix of their father and she would be proud if it wasn’t for the fact that Cora was staring her down, “Works for me, what do you say, Harper, ready to finally get knocked down a peg?”

Cora never broke eye contact with Phoenix as she stood, “I should be saying the same thing to you, Ryder, it’s about time someone taught you a lesson.”

If the room wasn’t silent before it was now. The rest of the group silently prayed that the Tempest would still be flying tomorrow as the three women headed for the training area.


	21. Rumor Has It

The crew of the Tempest, save for Kallo and Suvi, stood around the upper ring of the training area. Even Gil pulled himself away from the engine and mixed in with the group. The engineer looked down into the training area and hardly believed his eyes, “Is that Phoenix Ryder down there?!”

Phoenix looked up at the sound of her name and immediately took in a familiar face, “Brodie, I’d love to catch up, but I have an Asari wanna-be here that I need to chat with first,” she heard Cora huff at Phoenix’s remark but she ignored it, “Poker later?”

Gil laughed, “You bet!”

“Hey,” Cora grabbed Phoenix’s attention, “I’m still here.”

Phoenix rolled her eyes and cracked her neck, “Trust me, I wish I could forget it.”

Artemis stepped between the two before they started, she knew that any sort of fight between them was going to get ugly so she had some ground rules, “Listen, no biotics, I don’t want any holes in my ship and we keep this clean, afterward I don’t want any more petty arguments.”

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” Phoenix rolled her shoulders.

Artemis stepped back and Cora stood ready, waiting for Phoenix to make the first move. Phoenix threw the first punch, aiming for Cora’s lower abdomen. Cora jumped back to avoid the hit and then moved in for a strike of her own. The two danced around each other, landing blows here and there.

“I’ve always wondered,” Cora voiced while they circled each other, “You’ve always hated me, and I want to know why.”

Phoenix scoffed, “Are you kidding,” she threw a punch that made contact with Cora’s cheek, “You’ve always been such an ass-kisser, if a commanding officer asked you to jump, you would ask how high.”

“That’s not true,” Cora fired back, both physically and verbally, “Just because I wasn’t a wild child like you doesn’t mean I kiss ass.”

“I wasn’t a wild child, it’s called being your own person,” Phoenix ducked as Cora swung, “Not like you would know anything about that, idolizing and romanticizing every good leader you ever met and not even taking the time to become one yourself.”

“Cause you’re such a good example,” Cora laughed incredulously, “What do you even know about looking up to someone other than when you’re laying below them.”

That one. That was the remark that made Phoenix pop every blood vessel she had. She was done playing nice, “Say that again.”

Phoenix’s voice was so steady that it unnerved Cora a little, but not enough to make her think before she spoke, “You heard me, I’ve heard rumors about the company you kept back in the Milky Way, enough older men and commanding officers to fill a military roster.”

The crew audibly gasped when they heard Cora’s words. They knew that this little fight had quickly gone too far. Artemis nearly jumped down the ladder with Drack, Vetra, and Gil following closely behind her.

Phoenix didn’t even register the commotion of the four approaching as her biotics flared and she charged Cora, pinning her to the wall. She spits her words through clenched teeth, “You’re on thin fucking ice, Harper.”

It took both Drack and Vetra to pull Phoenix off Cora. Artemis placed a hand on Cora, silently telling the biotic to stop while she was ahead. Phoenix shook off Drack and Vetra’s grasp as Artemis eyed Cora, “I said keep it clean.”

“It’s not my fault she got around,” Cora remarked.

Artemis clenched her first in Cora’s shirt, “Watch it, Cora, she’s still my sister.”

Cora took in the situation, noticing that the only person on her side right now was her, “I think it would be best if we all took a break.”

“That makes two of us,” Artemis loosened her grip on Cora’s shirt, allowing the biotic to leave.

Phoenix’s chest heaved, taking in deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. The Pathfinder ran a hand through her hair. Drack threw an arm over Phoenix’s shoulders, “C’mon, kid.”

She let Drack lead her away from the training area. Artemis warred with herself, trying to decide who she needed to talk to first. Phoenix had Drack, and right now, Cora had no one. So, she did what any good leader would do, she decided to help the person who had no one.

Artemis knocked on Cora’s door, announcing her presence, before entering. Cora was taking care of the many plants lining the walls, “Are you here to scold me now like some sort of child?”

“Not unless that’s what you think you need,” Artemis leaned against an empty space on the wall, “Is it?”

Cora sighed, setting down the spray bottle she was using, turning to face The Pathfinder, “No, what I need is Phoenix to stop biting my head off every time I open my mouth.”

“Why do you and my sister hate each other,” Artemis wondered aloud.

The biotic thought about her words and thinking back to the times she interacted with Phoenix in the Milky Way, “Your sister and I crossed paths both in the Alliance and on the Citadel a little over a hand full of times but we would always butt heads, it also didn’t help that I tended to believe the rumors.”

Artemis shook her head, “Seriously, Cora, that’s so childish.”

“Look,” Cora defended herself, “I’ve seen her on the battlefield, and I’ve seen her lead a team, I learned that the rumors of her sleeping her way through the ranks were lies, but the damage had already been done.”

Artemis knew about the rumors of her sister that went around the Alliance barracks, and she did her best to stop them but there was only so much she could do. Phoenix never let it show that they got to her, but Phoenix never let anybody see much behind the front she put up. The Pathfinder let out a breath, “Yeah, my sister can hold a hell of a grudge, but that doesn’t excuse why you threw it in her face back there.”

Cora rubbed the back of her neck, “Your sister was right, and I let my anger get the better of me, another reason why I’m a better follower than a leader.”

“Cora,” Artemis reassured her, “It takes time to be a good leader, and it’s not a bad thing to look up to someone.”

Cora was thankful for the comfort offered. She nodded, “Thank you, Artemis,” her words hesitated as she realized what she had to do, “I…guess I should go apologize to Phoenix.”

Artemis stopped Cora in her tracks, “I wouldn’t do that just yet, let me go talk to her first to make sure that she won’t blow you straight into engineering on sight.”

In the kitchen of the ship, Drack was pouring something into a glass that was clear but definitely not water. Phoenix took the cup from Drack and downed it, clearing her throat after, “I don’t know what that was, but I sure as hell wanna know where you got it.”

“I hope you’re not getting my sister shitfaced,” Artemis voiced from the doorway as she entered the small room.

Vetra, Drack, and Gil all scoffed incredulously. The Pathfinder wrinkled her brow in confusion. Gil laughed, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Phoenix Ryder get shitfaced. Drack and Vetra hummed in agreement. Artemis sighed, “Alright, fair enough.”

Phoenix played with her empty glass, “Are you here to lecture me?”

“No,” Artemis shook her head and took a seat, “I understand why you reacted the way you did, I just want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Her eyes were sharper than her tone, it took Phoenix aback before filling her with a strange sense of pride that only an older sister could know.

“It won’t happen again,” Phoenix spoke, “Promise.” She sighed before continuing to speak, getting her thoughts in order, “I didn’t agree to help you on your mission to start a fight with your Second.”

Artemis nodded, “I know, never said you did.”

“Ugh,” Phoenix scrunched her face up in disgust, “I hate when you use that tone, you sound just like mom when she would lecture me.”

The younger Ryder’s laughter filled the room, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The rest of the way there went by fairly quickly. Cora and Phoenix talked about their differences, although it didn’t solve them, they came to an understanding and were able to tolerate each other for the remainder of the ride to Meridian.

Phoenix met Artemis on the bridge of the ship, looking out at the one planet that would hopefully make this whole trip worth it. She held her hands behind her back, standing at attention, “Ready?”

Artemis glanced at Phoenix, chuckling at how official her sister looked. They were both armed and ready for landfall, it reminded her of when they first woke up in Andromeda, “You look just like dad when you do that.”

“Must be an N7 thing,” Phoenix smiled. She could see the stress Artemis was holding, the tension in her shoulders, “We’re gonna win this.”

The Pathfinder sighed, “I hope you’re right, because Meridian’s our last shot at surviving in Andromeda.”

Phoenix nudged her playfully, “We’re gonna have eyes in the sky, feet on the ground, and a hell of a team; we’ve got this.”

“Sounds like something dad would say,” Artemis remarked.

The older Ryder grew quiet as memories of her father came to surface, “He did, back in the Alliance, it’s what he told me when I went on my first mission.”

The two Ryders fell into a comfortable silence before Kallo announced that he was ready to land on the Pathfinder’s order. Artemis took a deep breath to calm her nerves, “Alright, Kallo, take us in.”

Everything after that felt like a dream gone wrong to Phoenix. The Archon patched into the Tempest’s comms, and not only was The Archon there with an entire fleet but he had Apollo to top it all off. The Pathfinder team hit landfall with the Nomad and took off to chase down The Archon. Phoenix barely sat in her seat, “If we chase him down then we leave the Ark vulnerable!”

“We’ll protect the Ark,” Kandros’ voice patched into their comms, “You just worry about Meridian.”

“Kandros, who’s with you,” Artemis questioned.

“The whole cavalry,” Reyes voice responded, “Told you I would be there to catch you, Princess.”

Phoenix couldn’t help but grin, “My knight in shining armor.”

“Enough talk,” Evfra’s voice cut in, “Get in there and kick The Archon where it hurts.”

The Pathfinder team shared a look of determination, leaving both Ryder women with wicked grins on their faces that only full-blooded adrenaline junkies would know.


	22. Doors are Made for Knocking

Kick The Archon where it hurts they did.

Once they entered the vault on Meridian, the Pathfinder team launched into action. They reached The Archon who stood atop a large hill made up of Remnant pillars. His voice echoed in the large room, “It arrives, I have grown tired of your attempts to rival me.”

Apollo was being kept in a chair just behind The Archon, “Hey guys, took you long enough.”

“Sorry, traffic was hell,” Artemis chimed.

Apollo smiled weakly, “This guy is a terrible road trip buddy, wouldn’t even play I-Spy with me.”

“Enough,” The Archon exclaimed, “This ends here, I have what I need to control the Remnant, there will be no more mercy.” The two Kett behind him attached cables to The Archon’s back, allowing The Archon to be lifted into the air.

The Pathfinder team rushed to take cover. Phoenix let several colorful curse words fall from her mouth, “He can fly?!” She peeked her head out to try to get a visual of their situation but was quickly met with rapid gunfire. Her biotics lit up and surrounded her body, The Archon isn’t the only one who knows how to make something fly.

The fight with The Archon and his lackeys put a strain on everybody.

Especially the Ryder siblings.

The battle felt never-ending, every time they thought they were gaining ground it was only met with more resistance. It was one of the most satisfying, dangerous, and deadly fights Phoenix had ever been in and the moment when they finally brought The Archon down was a moment worth being a part of.

Artemis connected to the Vault and did what she did best: access technology she had no business being able to access. The Pathfinder team walked out of the Vault with their heads held high and smiles on their faces. Phoenix and Artemis helped carry Apollo out while he tried to walk even with the injuries he sustained. A crowd waited for them outside, familiar faces of those who helped them save their home. The Ryder siblings laughed at the sight, something they often wondered if they would ever get to see. Congratulations were in order, to say the least.

The Pathfinder team and those who helped them take down The Archon went to the freshly parked Nexus that overlooked the whole of Meridian. Apollo was given to the medical team and Phoenix was given a temporary room where she could clean herself up and rest from the battle. She started to peel off her armor, the feeling of both exhaustion and exertion catching up to her. Her body was covered in sweat, dirt, and bruises around her shoulders where she tended to ram into enemies with enough biotic force to topple a tower. A mirror hung on a nearby wall above a sink next to a shower, Phoenix took in the image of herself and noticed that this version of herself was the most familiar. Memories of other fights, other missions, flooded her mind and replayed themselves over and over. A knock at the door pulled Phoenix from her thoughts. She grabbed a robe that was hanging nearby, wrapping it around herself before answering the door. 

Reyes stood on the other side, just as exhausted. Phoenix took in the sight of him: hair fallen out of place and worry lines standing their ground on his forehead. A lazy smile found its way on her lips, “Rough day?”

His arms immediately found their way around her waist, enveloping her completely, “I was worried you weren’t going to come out of there.”

Phoenix let her emotions run free. Tears started to prick at her eyes, her voice quiet and unsteady, “To be honest, I was scared…,” the same tears that started to appear at her eyes began to run down her cheeks. There were words that she wanted to say but they all fell silent, the only thing she was able to do was cry. Her tears were angry, teeth gritted and hands curled into tight fists against Reyes’ chest.

Reyes tucked her head under his, knowing she needed to release the emotions she couldn’t deal with until after The Archon was defeated. He was thankful that she came out of there upright and walking.

They dared not move, staying in each other’s embrace for what felt like hours before Phoenix was able to collect herself enough to stop crying and move to untangle herself from his arms. Reyes was reluctant to let her go, not wanting to risk the chance that this was a dream and he would wake up to realize she hadn’t made it out alive. She raised a hand to cradle his cheek, “It’s okay, I’m still here.”

He laughed to himself, she knew him as well as he knew himself, if not better. Phoenix squeezed his hand one last time before stepping away, “Now, if you don’t mind, I desperately need to take a very hot shower.” Her feet carried her to the bathroom, glancing behind her when she didn’t hear him move, “Coming?”

Reyes grinned, words lost as he followed her lead and they disappeared behind the bathroom walls.

After an hour of letting herself relax, Phoenix sat on the bed, towel in hand as she dried her hair, back in the same robe she was in earlier. Reyes leaned against the door frame of the bathroom watching Phoenix, a towel wrapped around his waist. She laughed to herself, catching sight of him, “Anything I can help you with?”

He approached her, leaning down and placing his arms on either side of her, “I have a few things in mind.”

She leaned back on her elbows, abandoning the towel being used to dry her hair, a smirk dancing on her lips. One of her hands reached up to the back on his neck, playing with his hair, “Oh?”

“Phoenix,” a sudden voice startled the two. Reyes straightened his posture. Phoenix jumped to her feet, turning to face the voice, surprised to see her younger brother standing in her doorway, “Apollo, don’t you know how to knock, or did that get lost on you while you’ve been stuck in a coma?”

Apollo folded his arms over his chest, ready to fire back at his older sister, “I did knock, they released me from Med Bay with a clean bill of health, thought I would come give you the good news but obviously you were too busy to notice,” he nodded his head in Reyes direction, “Who the hell is this?”

Phoenix sighed, trying not to let an argument be the first conversation they have in six hundred years, “This Reyes Vidal,” she glanced back at Reyes, “Who is leaving to go put some clothes on,” her attention returned to Apollo, “It’s good to see you up and walking.”

“I’ve been in a coma, kidnapped, and then hooked up to alien technology, and that’s all you got,” Apollo stated, “C’mon, Nix, I was expecting a little fanfare.”

Phoenix shook her head, a smile finding its way to her features as she walked over to embrace him, “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

Apollo met her halfway, “I think you mean charming,” his arms wrapped around her, “Love to catch up, but I’m here to take you downstairs, they’re having a ‘Super Happy You Didn’t Die and You Killed The Bad Guy’ party.”

A laugh escaped Phoenix’s lips as they separated, “Is that all, and I haven’t a thing to wear.”

Reyes appeared, fully dressed, and approached the two, “Check the closet, Princess.”

Phoenix took in Reyes appearance, “Where did you get another change of clothes, were you wearing layers earlier?”

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head, “I had them put in here when I knew this was your room before you got here.”

“I want to say I’m surprised, but I’m really not,” she sighed before she remembered who else was in the room with them, “Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you two, Reyes, this is my little brother, Apollo.”

“Good to finally meet you,” Reyes held his hand out to shake Apollo’s.

Apollo stared at Reyes’ hand, not making any move to take it, “I wish I got to meet you before I found you practically on top of my sister.”

Reyes retracted his hand, Apollo’s stare unnerving him, “Is the piercing stare genetic?”

Phoenix had moved to open the closet as soon as she saw Apollo trying to act the part of the protective brother. The closet door slid open and a hum fell from her lips, “No, I taught him that, comes in handy in The Alliance.” She pulled out a white bodycon off-shoulder dress, holding the hanger in the air and grabbing the end of the dress, “Where did you find something like this in Andromeda?”

Reyes stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, “Someone brought it with them from the Milky Way and decided to sell it,” his head rested on her shoulder, “Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” her lips met his cheek, “Thank you.”

Apollo cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence in the room. Phoenix shook her head with a chuckle, “Don’t worry, Apollo, I didn’t forget about you,” she hung the dress on the outside of the closet, “Reyes, go on ahead, I’ll get ready and meet you at the party.”

“See you out there,” Reyes squeezed her waist one last time before letting go and heading for the door, “Apollo, it was nice to meet you.”

Apollo eyed the man as he left, “Vidal.”

Phoenix rolled her eyes at Apollo’s tone, not bothering to waste her time remarking. Her younger brother wasn’t as decisive with his own words, “Really, Nix, what are you doing?”

She knew what he was asking her, but wasn’t in the mood to debate with him, “Getting ready to change and go to the party.”

“You know what I mean,” Apollo persisted.

Phoenix walked to the bathroom, dress in hand, “Based on your tone, I don’t know if you’re trying to ask if I’m making smart choices or having safe sex, it could go either way.”

Her brother shifted from one foot to the other, not wanting to play his sister’s games, “What I’m trying to say is that the last time I was aware, you were hell-bent on not diving headfirst into another relationship after Harry.”

She held her breath, remembering that Apollo hasn’t spoken to or seen her since she boarded the ship that would take her to Andromeda. The breath she held slowly exited her body, a million and ten things have happened since then, “Reyes and I grew really close on Kadara after being Exiled from the Nexus, it just kind of happened,” she stepped out from the bathroom to put on matching shoes she found in the closet, “And honestly, I’m happy it did.”

Apollo watched as Phoenix’s face lit up when she talked about Reyes. He sighed and relaxed his posture, finding it hard to be mad about something that made his older sister this happy, “If you’re happy, then I’m happy,” he threw an arm around her shoulders, “But if he ever breaks your heart, I will kill him.”

Phoenix lifted a hand to ruffle his hair, “Love you too.”

The younger Ryder immediately went to work fixing his hair, muttering to himself about sisters and how they never respect the time it takes for a guy to do his hair. She laughed and stepped towards the door, expecting him to follow, “C’mon, we’ve got a party to get to.”


	23. Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks. The final chapter in this series that I didn't rlly plan on being more than 10 chapters but sometimes that's just how it rolls. I want to send big virtual hugs and a huge thank you to anyone who has read this. Thank you guys for taking an interest in my self-indulgent work <3

The Nexus can’t throw a party, not a proper one according to Phoenix’s standards. She laughed, smiled, hugged, did everything that was expected of her. There were only a handful of people there that she was excited to be able to talk to and spend time with freely; unfortunately, they all seemed to be “The Hero” of the hour and very hard to get a hold of without a group forming around them.

A glass found its place into her hand at some point between the mingling and the fanfare. She wondered when it had gotten there and what was in it, hoping that it was some sort of mix of alcohol and fun to make this party a little more exciting. A short trip to her lips followed by the feeling of the liquid on her tongue confirmed two things for her, it was alcoholic but not enough. Phoenix huffed, disappointed by the drink in her hand. Kandros chuckled, coming to stand next to her, “Is this party not up to your standards?”

“Is it even up to yours,” Phoenix questioned.

Kandros hummed, “Nope.”

The two laughed like old friends should, dropping all pretense of formality. Neither were much for corporate parties, preferring functions where they could either drink enough to forget who they pissed off that day or catch a bar fight or two. Phoenix sighed into her cup, lifting it to her lips, starting to wonder where Reyes had gone, “Have you seen Reyes around, he said he would meet me down here but I haven’t seen or heard him since I got here.”

“I remember seeing him just before you showed up, but after that I can’t say,” Kandros replied.

Phoenix huffed, “All of the people at this party that I wanted to spend any time with are either missing or busy with other party-goers.” Kandros mocked a hurt expression before Phoenix quickly corrected herself, “Except for you of course.”

The Turian began to make a witty remark when he noticed a familiar smuggler approach them. He smirked, knowing that his conversation with Phoenix had come to an end and excusing himself, “If you’ll excuse me, I still have to go congratulate the others on a battle well won.”

Phoenix tried not to smile when she caught sight of Reyes, but some things are easier said than done. Reyes wrapped an arm around her waist, leaning into her, “Sorry I’m late, got pulled away by a very protective brother of yours.”

The eldest Ryder grinned to stifle her laughter at the thought of Apollo giving Reyes a piece of his mind, “That must explain why I haven’t seen or heard much of my younger brother, he’s usually trying to stir up some trouble at these kinds of events.”

As if on cue, Apollo stood on a chair and drew everyone’s attention to himself, “Attention, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between,” he raised his glass, “As you all know, I have recently woken up from a coma to a new galaxy where a madman tried to hook me up to ancient alien technology, and would probably have killed me, so I believe I have earned the right to say that this party blows!”

Phoenix raised her glass to Apollo’s words, she might be the older sister but that didn’t mean she wasn’t also the enabler of the three siblings, “You tell ’em!”

The crowd of party-goers filled with emotions ranging from amusement to exasperation. Artemis moved to pull her brother down from the chair, “Apollo, get down before you hurt yourself.”

Apollo swatted his twin’s hand away, “Oh, please, don’t try to tell me that you’re actually having a good time.”

“That’s not the point here,” Artemis sighed and looked to Phoenix for any help the older Ryder was willing to offer.

Phoenix smirked, “Well, Pathfinder, _are_ you having a good time?”

The Pathfinder in question huffed, “I can’t stand either of you right now,” not wanting to respond. She knew he was right.

“Then you better have a seat,” Apollo remarked, “Because I’m gonna take this party from a two to a ten!”

Cheers of excitement and murmurs of disappointment moved through the crowd. Artemis shook her head while Phoenix took a sip from her drink with a smile on her lips. Reyes pulled at her hand, she turned in the direction he was pulling, noticing that he was leading her away from the party. She took one more look at the party now behind her before following Reyes.

He led her through a hall and out through the exit, into the open air. Phoenix’s brows knit together, “What are we doing?”

Reyes rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, looking out towards the open expanse of uncharted land the Initiative is sure to waste no time exploring, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“All we ever dreamed,” Phoenix agreed with him, “This is what the entire Initiative was promised.” She squeezed his hand, smiling up at him when he turned to look at her, “I can see the wheels turning in your head, what is it?”

He remembered his conversation with Apollo from earlier:

_Apollo stopped Reyes in the hall, away from the party, “Artemis told me about what went down between her and Phoenix,” his eyes were calculating Reyes reaction as he spoke, “If you ever come between Phoenix and us, I will make sure that is the _last_ thing you ever do, and that includes her return to The Initiative.”_

_ Reyes was taken aback by Apollo’s words, the Ryder children had shown themselves to be fiercely protective of each other, it was Apollo’s mention of her return to The Initiative that caught his attention, “Her return?”_

_ “I overheard Nexus leadership talking about it,” Apollo held an air of smug confidence about him as he spoke, “I guess helping save the Andromeda galaxy side by side the Pathfinder has its perks.”_

Phoenix tugged in his hand lightly, trying to gain his attention, “Hey, Earth to Reyes.” She could tell there is something weighing on him, and it in turn weighed on her.

“Do you want to go back to The Initiative?”

His words were sudden, Phoenix’s face visibly painted with surprise, “Go back to The Initiative,” she scoffed while echoing his words, “Are you kidding, they wanted to escort me off the Nexus at gunpoint not that long ago, letting me back into The Initiative is the last thing they would do.”

“But if you could,” he persisted, “Would you?”

This is a question that Phoenix thought about often when she was up late and couldn’t sleep. She wondered how different her life would be if she hadn’t left and made a name for herself on Kadara. It is a question that she ponders when she drinks alone with an answer that never changes, “No, too much has changed, I’ve…changed,” her voice started to fall off as she considered her own words but quickly collected herself before she was lost in thought, “Where is this coming from?”

Reyes shifted in his stance, “Your brother told me that he heard Nexus Leadership talking about offering you a chance to come back to the Nexus.”

She sighed, shaking her head, “I should have known,” words dripping with exhaustion, “Apollo likes to play the part of the protective brother, anytime I get involved with someone he doesn’t approve of he makes it his mission to make them jump through more hoops than a dog in an obstacle course.” The conversation she shared with Apollo before they went to the party wasn’t enough to keep him from trying to scare off the one good thing this whole galaxy had given to her, “It looks like I need to have another conversation with my little brother about letting his big sister make her own choices, maybe this time it’ll get through to him.”

He relaxed, feeling reassured at her words. Laughter started to lightly spill from his lips, “I feel like your brother was trying to get under my skin, and I’m a little embarrassed to say it worked.”

Phoenix bursted out with laughter, “Just don’t tell him it worked,” her tone teasing and light, “He’ll be absolutely ridiculous,” she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his chest, looking up at him.

Their gazes met and for a moment, a sense of peace and calm fell over them. Andromeda is finally starting to look and feel home.


End file.
